Effect of Self-Care Education on Sleep Quality and Psychological Disorders in Post-Discharged Patients with COVID-19

Background and Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) affects the physiologic and psychological systems of humans and can lead to different degrees of depression, stress, anxiety, and insomnia. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-care education on sleep quality and psychological disorders in patients with COVID-19 following discharge. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 50 patients with COVID-19, who were educated via telephone. The average time for each interview and education was 20-40 minutes. The education included effective ways to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression as well as sleep hygiene. Data collection tools included three sections: demographic information, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). These questionnaires were completed by three nurses once 2-3 days after discharge and again one month later by tele-phone. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: 69% of patients were men with a mean age of 59 years old. Significant difference was observed in each of the subscales of depression, anxiety, and stress, and their total mean (P 0.0500), in addition, a significant difference was observed in sleep quality of patients with COVID-19 (P 0.0500) between 2-3 days after discharge and 1 month later after education. Conclusion: People with COVID-19 had less sleep quality and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The self-care education regarding sleep hygiene and ways to deal with stress to improve these factors had a significant impact and led to a significant level.