Preoperative echocardiographic parameters influencing quality of life five years after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Exploring the Importance of Health Literacy for the Quality of Life in Patients with Heart Failure

As with all other chronic noncommunicable diseases, adequate health literacy plays a key role in making the right decisions in the treatment of heart failure. Patients with heart failure and a lower health literacy have a reduced quality of life. A cross-sectional study among 200 patients with heart failure was conducted at a state university hospital in Belgrade, Serbia. The European Health Literacy Questionnaire, HLS-EU-Q47, was used to assess health literacy. Quality of life was measured with the generic SF-36 and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. Descriptive and analytical statistical analysis was applied. More than half of the respondents (64%) had limited health literacy. The lowest mean health literacy index (28.01 ± 9.34) was within the disease prevention dimension, where the largest number of respondents showed limited health literacy (70%). Our patients had a poorer quality of life in the physical dimension, and the best scores were identified in the emotional role and social functioning. Health literacy was highly statistically significant and an independent predictor of quality of life (physical, mental, and total quality of life). Improving health literacy can lead to better decisions in the treatment of disease and quality of life in heart failure patients.

[Quality of life evaluation in cardiovascular diseases]

DEFINITION OF QUALITY OF LIFE: In recent years, quality of life has become a very important measure of treatment of disease and successful therapy, regarding not only general health of an individual patient but also of the whole population. In 1993 the WHO proclaimed "Vision of health for all", as "Add years to life" but also "Add life to years", emphasizing quality of life to be as important as life duration. Although the remaining life expectancy in patients with cardiovascular disease is prolonged, there is still medical challenge: "How to improve quality of life in these patients?".

MEASUREMENT OF QUALITY OF LIFE

Quality of life can be defined as the patient's perception of impact of disease and concomitant therapy and procedures on his physical and working capacity, emotional role, social communication and general health.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES FOR QUALITY OF LIFE EVALUATION

It can be measured by general health questionnaires and specified questionnaires for disease. Questionnaire SF-36 is regarded as one of the most reliable, considering the great number of publications.

CONCLUSION

The most important step in complicated evaluation of quality of life is the adequate selection of questionnaire with a high confidence.