Health Related Quality of Life of Patients with Heart Failure and on Treatment in National Hospital Sri Lanka

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) is defined as a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart muscle is unable to pump enough blood to the heart to meet the body requirements of blood and oxygen. Basically, the heart cannot keep up with its workload. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 2014 coronary heart disease deaths in Sri Lanka reached 32,582 or 25.74% of total deaths. Patients with heart failure experience various physical and emotional symptoms such as dyspnoea, fatigue, oedema, sleeping difficulties, depression and chest pain. These symptoms limit patients’ daily physical and social activities and result in poor quality of life (QOL). Understanding the factors that influence on the wellbeing of patients with heart failure will allow nurses to focus on specific intervention for enhancing their quality of life. Objectives: To assess the health related quality of life of patients’ with heart failure on treatment in National Hospital Sri Lanka (NHSL). Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among sample of randomly selected 197 patients having heart failure on treatment in NHSL cardiology clinic. Data were collected using interviewer administered WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire after the pre-test. Ethical approval was obtained from the ethical review committee of KAATSU International University and NHSL. Data were analysed according to the WHOQOL user manual Results and conclusions: Most of the participants were Sinhala (64.3%, n= 110), Buddhist (56.1%, n= 96) males (66.7%, n= 114) belong to age group 50-59 (45%, n= 77). Among the participants 83.6% (n= 143) were married and 24% (n = 143) were educated up to advance level. Most of the participant having poor physical (64.3%), psychological (66.1%) and social (64.3%) QOL. Nearly half of the participant (48%) having poor environmental QOL. The overall quality of life was poor in most of the patient with HF. Health education and health promotion programmes should be conducted to uplift the QOL of the patients.