THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND HOME CARE NEEDS OF PATIENTS TREATED FOR HEART FAILURE

Abstract

Objective: To identify the quality of life and need for home care of patientstreated for heart failure and the socio demographic and disease-related featuresthat affect them. Methodology: This cross sectional study included patients treated at theCardiology-Coronary Intensive Care Unit of Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey.Data was collected from patients who were willing to participate in the study fromDecember 2010 to June 2012. The data collection tools were the Katz Daily LivingActivities Scale and the MacNew Heart Disease Health-related Quality of LifeQuestionnaire. The data collected was analyzed using the SPSS 16.0, and thedescriptive statistics were analyzed using the t-test, Spearman's correlationanalysis, the Mann-Whitney U test and the Chi-square test. Results: About 180 patients were included. It was found that in participatingpatients, when their level of need for home care increased their quality of lifedecreased. Research reveals that the activities with which patients with heartfailure need the most home care assistance are cleaning, cooking, eating,bathing, and using the toilet. Conclusion: It was found that the more patients with heart failure need homecare, the more their quality of life falls.