The Effectiveness of a Self-Care Health Education Program for Pregnant Women via Telehealth service system at Tha Uthen Hospital, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a self-care health education program for pregnant women through a telehealth service system at Tha Uthen Hospital, Nakhon Phanom Province. The research employed a two-group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 62 pregnant women receiving antenatal care services at Tha Uthen Hospital between March and September 2025, divided equally into an experimental group (n = 31) and a control group (n = 31). The research instruments consisted of (1) a general information questionnaire, (2) a self-care perception questionnaire for pregnant women, and (3) a self-care health education program for pregnant women through a telehealth service system. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, and inferential statistics, including the Paired Sample t-test and Independent Sample t-test, with a significance level set at .05.

The results revealed that after participating in the program, pregnant women in the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores of self-care perception than before the intervention and compared to the control group (p < .05) in all aspects, including nutrition and medication use, pregnancy complications, and recognition of danger signs. Moreover, participants were able to apply the acquired knowledge in their daily self-care practices effectively.

In conclusion, the self-care health education program for pregnant women delivered through a telehealth service system was effective in enhancing knowledge, awareness, and appropriate self-care behaviors among pregnant women. The program can be implemented in antenatal clinics at community hospitals to improve the quality of maternal and child health services at the local level efficiently and sustainably.