Journal of Knowledge & Health1735-577X11320160618Effect of Family Empowerment Model on Re-Hospitalization and Outpatient Visits in a Period of Nine Months among Heart Failure Patients1710.1234/knh.v11i3.1258FAShahriarSalehiDept. of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahre-kored University of Medical Sciences, Share-kord, Iran.. sh_salehitali@yahoo.comHousenaliMehralinAli MohamadHasheminia201511012016042320160418Introduction: Empowerment of home care workers is one of the effective ways of  improving self-care and reducing re-admissions and outpatient visits in heart failure patients. The purpose of this  paper is to study the effect of family empowerment model on re-hospitalization and outpatient visits, in a period of nine months among heart failure patients.Methods: This study was a one-blinded randomized clinical trial with a sample size of 97 heart failure patients. The sample was randomly divided into treatment and control groups. Home care and educational interventions were based on a checklist including patients’ and their home care workers’ needs. Home care and educational interventions were done theoretically and practically by educational movies and training manual starting by hospitalization and then continued in home visits. The effect of interventions on re-hospitalization and outpatient visits were studied in two groups. Independent t-test, fisher exact test, chi-square test and descriptive statistics were used to analyze data by SPSS.Results: The results indicated that the averages of re-hospitalization were 1.65 ± 1.01 and 2.74 ± 1.24 in treatment and the control group, respectively. Means of outpatient visits in treatment and control group were 2.73 ± 1.24 and 3.32 ±0.94. Results of t-test showed significant difference between two groups in re-hospitalization (P=0.01) and outpatient visits (P=0.009).Conclusion: Empowering families of heart failure patients by strengthening their skills in patient care reduced hospitalization and outpatient visits.