Objective: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) interventions increase psychological flexibility and improve mental health and quality of life in patients with myocardial infarction. Study design: A controlled clinical trial study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of an ACT intervention in improving the quality of life in patients with MI in Isfahan, Iran. Method: The present controlled clinical trial with a pre and post-test design was conducted on a statistical population consisting of patients with MI admitted to hospitals in Isfahan (n = 60) who were selected through sequential sampling based on the study inclusion criteria and were randomly divided into an intervention and a control group (n1 = n2 = 30). The case group received 8 weekly 90-minute sessions of ACT and the control group received no interventions. The pretest-posttest design was administered in both groups using a demographic questionnaire and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) designed to assess the health status of patients with heart failure in terms of quality of life. The data obtained were analyzed in SPSS-20 using descriptive statistics and the ANCOVA. Results: In this study, 2 general areas of quality of life, including physical and mental health, were examined in the patients. There was a significant increase in the quality of life and subscales of mental and physical health in the experimental group (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Considering the effectiveness of ACT in improving quality of life in these patients, this method of intervention can be used as a complementary therapy in health care centers to reduce the side-effects experienced by these patients.

BACKGROUND: Although the World Health Organization has emphasized the need for reorientation of hospitals toward health promotion (HP), HP in hospitals of Iran is a new concept. This study investigated the concept of HP among health-care professionals working in educational hospitals of Isfahan, Iran, 2015. METHODS: A descriptive exploratory qualitative approach was employed in this study, with semi-structured interviews to investigate HP concept. The study settings included four selected educational hospitals affiliated to the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. A purposive sample consisted of 15 health-care professionals who were participated in the study. RESULTS: Most of the participants perceived HP as a concept synonymous to health education and disease prevention. Other meaning attributes to HP were improved quality of life and well-being, clinical practice, individual and group approach to increase health, and holistic view to health. Some empowerment strategies were described by participants, but most of the participants rarely went beyond traditional health education strategy aimed at an individual target. A sizeable number of participants used interchangeably the terms “health promotion” with “prevention,” “health education,” and “hygiene”. CONCLUSIONS: It seems that participants of this study had limited knowledge about HP. Health-care staff have a decisive role for reorienting hospitals toward HP; thus, there is a need for ongoing in-service training for health-care professionals of hospitals to focus on HP.

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