The effect of care for heart failure patients based on the roper-logan-tierney model of nursing on their levels of independence and perceptions of care

Aim: This study aimed to determine the effect of nursing care provided to heart failure patients based on the Roper-Logan-Tierney model of nursing on their levels of independence and perceptions of care. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted between April 2014 and February 2017. The population of the study included heart failure patients who received care in the coronary intensive care unit of the Tokat State Hospital. The study sample was identified as 100 people (50 experimental and 50 control). The patients in the experimental group were provided with nursing care based on the model during 4.72±1.37 days on average. The patients in the control group were not provided with any intervention other than the routine care implemented at the hospital during the 4.38±1.19 days on average they stayed at the hospital. The data were collected using a patient introductory information form, the Patient Identification Form based on the Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing, the Modified Barthel Index, Care Guide and the Individualized Care Scale. Findings: No significant difference was found between the mean independence scores of the patients in the experimental and control groups when they were admitted to the unit (p=0.32). Their mean independence scores when they were discharged were compared, and a quite significant difference was found between the experimental and control group (88.84±13.58 points, 78.54±16.64 points, respectively) (p=0.001). A highly significant difference was found between their mean scores on the Individualized Care Scale, which was administered to the patients when they were discharged (p=0.001). According to the results of the care that was given to the patients in the experimental group based on the model, the nursing diagnoses the patients received when they were admitted to the unit were observed to decrease when they were discharged, and the difference was found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: The study concluded that nursing care for heart failure patients based on the Roper-Logan-Tierney model of nursing can increase their levels of independence, positively affect their perception of care and outcomes of care. Keywords: Heart Failure Patients, Nursing Care, Patient Independence, Perception of Individualized Care, The Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing.