Assessment of the Effect of Family-Centered Care on Anxiety and Care Burden in Parents of Children Undergoing Heart Transplantation

Background: The frequency of organ transplantation is increasing, leading to increased stress in patients and families. Family performance assessment can express psychological and health consequences for children and their families and provide an opportunity for targeted interventions. Methods: After necessary permits were obtained, the cases were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Fifty parents of children who underwent heart transplantation participated in the research. Then, after the identification of the subjects in the experimental and control groups, the experimental group was subjected to the family-centered model. Following the completion of the training and 1 month later, anxiety and care-burden questionnaires were distributed to the experimental and control groups. Finally, the data obtained from the questionnaires were collected and analyzed. Results: Fifty individuals participated in this study. The results of the independent t test showed no significant difference concerning anxiety among parents before and after the intervention between the 2 study groups (P=0.217). Care burden was less in the intervention group than in the controls (P=0.039). Conclusions: After training, anxiety and care burden in the intervention group improved compared with the control group. Information support of patients' families will help them better adapt to stressful situations. Educating patients and their families can increase their information and reduce their anxiety.