Background: Patients undergoing permanent implantable pacemakers, challenge with
multiple physical, psychological, and social complications. The patients may perceive the
pacemaker device as electronic security or as a source of physical, psychosocial, and emotional
discomfort. So self-care management for those patients and patients' practices will lead to
improving their life and overcoming physical, social, and psychological problems, and improving
their outcomes. Aims: to determine the effect of the nursing protocol of care on health-related
outcomes for patients undergoing permanent pacemaker implant. Design: A quasi-experimental
design was used. Setting: The study was conducted at the Cardio- Electrophysiology Unit at the
new Main Alexandria University Hospital Alexandria Sample: data was conducted on 100 cardiac
patients undergoing permanent pacemaker implants that were divided into two equal groups as
study and control. Tools: Three tools were used in this study. The tool I: Structured Interview
Schedule, Tool II: patients' Knowledge Assessment Questionnaire regarding pacemaker implant,
Tool III: Patients' Health Outcomes Sheet. Results: Overall total scores of self-care practice and
patient knowledge improved significantly in the study group immediately post and post three
months from program implementation in comparison with the control group indicating a significant
difference between the two groups after implementing a teaching program (P>0.001). Conclusion:
Medication management, Postoperative pacemaker implant care, precautions followed
postoperatively, diet modification, ADL and follow-up were improved significantly in the study
group immediately post and post three months from the nursing protocol of care. Recommendation:
a training program for nurses about the protocol of care for patients with a permanent pacemaker.
Future studies are needed about artificial pacemaker issues to develop evidence-based nursing
management guidelines from different health centers in Egypt.