Assessing quality of life in patients with heart failure in Cyprus

Abstract

Background Heart failure is a chronic disease with a serious impact on patients' quality of life which is influenced by several factors. Aims The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of life of patients with heart failure in the city of Limassol in Cyprus. Methods The proposed study is characteristically descriptive quantitative research. The sample includes 99 patients with heart failure in Limassol Hospital, using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire in the Greek Language. The data were collected from October 2017 to November 2017. Findings Our sample consisted of 99 individuals from the Limassol district, 40 (40.4%) were females and the average age of the patients was 68.5±14 years. Patients with heart failure who had a primary education averaged 9.69 points on the quality of life scale. This is lower than patients with higher education (b=9.69 P=0.057), lower physical health by 7.35 points (b=7.35 P=0.008) and lower by 2.26 Social health units (b=2.26 P=0.030). Conclusion Patients with heart failure experience many and complex problems. Through this research, it appears that different dimensions of quality of life are affected, such as physical, social and emotional health. The older the age of the patient, the lower levels of education and the sex of the patient have an impact on the quality of life of patients with heart failure.