Outcomes of Patients Receiving Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Effect of Self-Care Management Guidelines

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Self-care practices are crucial for relieving illness symptoms and adverse effects. Efforts are being made to use self-care techniques to improve patient outcomes throughout several diseases states.  Aim of the study The study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-care management guidelines on the outcomes of patients receiving radiofrequency ablation therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma Design: Quasi-experimental post-test control group design was used. Setting: Intervention Radiofrequency & Vascular Radiology Unit and outpatient clinic affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospitals, in Egypt. Subjects: Purposive sample of 52 patients who met the inclusion criteria at previously mentioned setting and divided into two groups (study and control group) Tools: I: Patients' Structured interview questionnaire, II: Patients’ reported self-care management practices questionnaire. III- Patients' assessment tool, IV-Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: the result of this study proved that there was statistically significant improvement among study group participants as compared to control group regarding all identified outcomes namely, knowledge, self-care practices, pain, post-ablation syndrome, occurrence of post-ablation complications and time for resuming normal activity after ablation with p ≤0.05. Conclusion: the findings conclude that self-care management guidelines had a positive effect on all outcomes of study group participants and support all study hypotheses. Recommendations: All patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in health care settings should have access to a concise and comprehensive Arabic brochure/booklet with radiofrequency ablation precautions and guidelines.