Development and Effectiveness of a Foot Care Program for Patients with Schizophrenia Hospitalized During Psychiatric Care: A Mixed-Methods Study

Purpose: To determine the effects of a foot care program on hospitalization stress, self-esteem, and self-care agency for patients with schizophrenia in a closed psychiatric ward.Methods: An embedded mixed-method design was used, applying a non-equivalent control group pre-post design and qualitative content analysis. Participants were 25 patients with schizophrenia in a closed ward (experimental group: 13, control group: 12). The foot care program was conducted 12 times over 4 weeks. Data were collected from June 5, 2023, to September 29, 2023.Results: Study results revealed that the foot care program was effective in reducing hospitalization stress (Z=-2.75, p=.006), increasing self-esteem (Z=-3.99, p<.001), and improving self-care agency (Z=-2.89, p=.003) for hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. Qualitative analysis identified 3 main categories and 9 subcategories related to the program participation experience.Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that a foot care program can be an effective mental health nursing intervention to reduce hospitalization stress and improve self-esteem and self-care agency in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia.