Association between perception of caring behaviors and self-efficacy in patients with cardiovascular disease at coronary care units: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Assessing and improving patient self-efficacy are among the major roles of nurses. Nurses are also responsible for providing direct patient care, and they play a major role in improving patient care quality. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate nurses' care-giving behaviors. This study aimed to determine the association between caring behaviors and self-efficacy in patients with cardiovascular disease.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 400 patients with cardiovascular disease who were admitted to hospitals in Jahrom, southern Iran, were selected through a stratified sampling. The Caring Behaviors Inventory and the Strategies Used by People to Promote Health questionnaires were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Spearman correlation coefficient in SPSS ver. 22.

Results: Results showed significant relationships between perception of caring behaviors and self-efficacy (r=0.16, P=0.001) as well as subscales of respectful deference to others (r=0.12, P=0.01), assurance of human presence (r=0.12, P=0.02), and positive connectedness (r=0.18, P=0.001). Additionally, among the subscales of caring behaviors, "attentive to others' experience," with a mean of 5.17±1.10, was the highest priority and "positive connectedness," with a mean of 4.81±1.31, was the lowest priority for patients. The mean self-efficacy score was 73.94±29.78, and 169 patients (43.2%) had low self-efficacy.

Conclusions: Given the positive relationship between perception of caring behaviors and self-efficacy in patients with cardiovascular disease, self-efficacy could be improved by paying more attention to patient care priorities and improving patient perception of caring behaviors.