Background: Self-efficacy in self-care behaviors is an effective framework for measuring patients’ degree of ability to perform selfcare behaviors that significantly affect their recovery process and quality of life. This study was designed to investigate the effects of education based on self-efficacy strategies on self-care behaviors in heart failure patients. Methods: A semi-experimental study was conducted on 80 heart failure patients divided into 2 equal groups of test and control. The intervention group received three 60-minute practical and theoretical training sessions based on self-care and self-efficacy strategies, while the control group received the usual care services. Self-care behaviors and self-efficacy were evaluated before training, shortly after training, and 3 months after the training program using the Sullivan self-efficacy questionnaire for heart failure patients and the European self-care behaviors questionnaires. Results: The mean age of the patients was 55.00±8.48 and 51.61±8.51 years in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Women comprised 73.7% (n=59) of the study population. The mean score for the self-care and self-efficacy questionnaires in the experimental group was 23.50±6.58 and 18.57±6.64, correspondingly, before the intervention, which increased to 42.64±6.74 (P<0.014) and 32.29±7.06 (P<0.001), respectively, shortly after the intervention. A significant improvement also occurred at 3 months’ follow-up (P<0.001). Self-care behaviors also revealed a positive correlation with self-efficacy shortly after the intervention (r=0.82, P<0.001) and 3 months after the intervention (r=0.85, P<0.001). Conclusion: The implementation of educational interventions based on self-efficacy strategies could have positive effects on healthpromoting behaviors among heart failure patients.

Background:The present study aimed to introduce a rapid transmission dosimetry through an electronic portal-imaging device (EPID) to achieve two-dimensional (2D) dose distribution for homogenous environments. Material and Methods: In this Phantom study, first, the EPID calibration curve and correction coefficients for field size were obtained from EPID and ionization chamber. Second, the EPID off-axis pixel response was measured, and the grey-scale image of the EPID was converted into portal dose image using the calibration curve. Next, the scattering contribution was calculated to obtain the primary dose. Then, by means of a verified back-projection algorithm and the Scatter-to-Primary dose ratio, a 2D dose distribution at the mid-plane was obtained. Results: The results obtained from comparing the transmitted EPID dosimetry to the calculated dose, using commercial treatment planning system with gamma function while there is 3% dose difference and 3mm distance to agreement criteria, were in a good agreement. In addition, the pass rates of γ < 1 was 94.89% for the homogeneous volumes. Conclusion:Based on the results, the method proposed can be used in EPID dosimetry.

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