Comparison of the effects of face-to-face and virtual education on the care burden of attendants of patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Salehi Tizabi , Farzaneh; Bakhshi, Mahmoud; Zare, Masoud

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Salehi Tizabi F, Bakhshi M, Zare M. Comparison of the effects of face-to-face and virtual education on the care burden of attendants of patients with Multiple Sclerosis. jmsthums 2025; 13 (3) :12-25
URL: http://jms.thums.ac.ir/article-1-1424-en.html

Comparison of the effects of face-to-face and virtual education on the care burden of attendants of patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Farzaneh Salehi Tizabi¹

, Mahmoud Bakhshi²

, Masoud Zare³

1- Student Research Committee, faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2- Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran & Department of Medical-Surgical Nursing, school of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
3- Department of community health nursing, school of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract: (24 Views)

Background & Aim: Attendants of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience a heavy care burden and need to improve their lifestyle. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and virtual education on the care burden of attendants of patients with MS.
Methods: This randomized two-group clinical trial was conducted on 82 attendants of MS patients who referred to the MS Clinic of Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad in 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to either the face-to-face or virtual education group using simple randomization. In the face-to-face group, healthy lifestyle education was provided in five 45–60-minute sessions over five consecutive weeks. In the virtual group, the same educational content was delivered through the Eita messenger application in five sessions. The care burden was measured before the intervention and one month after the completion of the educational sessions. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 with independent t-test, paired t-test, and chi-square test.
Results: The mean care burden scores after the intervention were 30.07 ± 8.90 in the face-to-face group and 34.28 ± 11.73 in the virtual group. The independent t-test showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.72). Within-group comparisons revealed a significant decrease in care burden scores in both groups (from 45.82 ± 7.26 and 47.61 ± 8.52 before the intervention to 30.07 ± 8.90 and 34.28 ± 11.73 after the intervention, respectively; P < 0.001).
Conclusion: The results indicated no significant difference between the effectiveness of face-to-face and virtual lifestyle education in reducing the care burden of attendants of MS patients. Health managers can use virtual education as an alternative or complementary method to face-to-face education to promote the lifestyle of MS patient attendants.

Keywords: Healthy lifestyle, Virtual education, Care burden, Attendants, Multiple Sclerosis

Full-Text [PDF 460 kb] (41 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2025/03/2 | Accepted: 2025/07/28 | Published: 2025/11/17

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