Background

Shocks caused by an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) affect the social health of patients. Implementation of Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation (HBCR) by trained nurses can be effective in preventing or reducing these effects.

Objectives

The aim this study was to determine the effect of implementation of HBCR programmes on the social health of patients with ICD.

Material and methods

This study was conducted as a semi-experimental and randomised study with two groups of control (n = 35) and experimental (n = 35) patients receiving ICD in the Shahid Chamran Heart Centre of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). Data collection tools included Keys Social Health questionnaire and the HBCR programmes checklist. In four educational sessions, patients were introduced to the practical concepts of HBCR programmes.

Results

At the beginning of the study, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of social health score (p = 0.056), but immediately after the intervention and three months after the intervention, there was a significant difference in the social health score in the two groups (p < 0.001). The experimental group had a higher social health score than the control group.

Conclusions

The findings of this study represent the positive impact of implementing HBCR programmes on the social health of patients with ICD and the role of nurses in providing healthcare services at home, the gap of which is quite noticeable in the health system of our country.