Application of protection motivation theory in epidemic prevention in patients with respiratory diseases under the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of nursing intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT) on patients with respiratory diseases in the context of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.Methods: A total of 74 patients with respiratory diseases who were hospitalized from June 2020 to February 2021 were enrolled and stratified into a control group (n = 37) and an experimental group (n = 37) according to a stratified random sampling method. The control group adopted a routine nursing intervention program of the respiratory department, whereas the experimental group received a PMT-based nursing intervention program on the basis of the control group. Chronic Disease Self-Management Study Measures (CDSMS) and Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Diseases 6-item Scale (SECD6) were used to evaluate the effect of PMT intervention before intervention, after 1 week, and after 4 weeks of intervention. The levels of forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and peak expiratory flow (PEF) were measured to evaluate pulmonary function.Results: Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales and liver function indexes between the two groups (p > 0.05). After 1 and 4 weeks of intervention, the scores of CDSMS and SECD6 scales of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.0001). The indexes of pulmonary function of the experimental group were improved, but there was no significant difference compared with the control group (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Nursing intervention based on PMT contributes to the improvement of self-management behaviors and self-efficacy, which is conducive to the prognoses of patients.