Experiences of Patients Living with Heart Failure: A Qualitative Study in Jordan

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many studies described Health-Related Quality of Life among patients with Heart Failure objectively and statistically using quantitative designs in developed and developing countries. Despite the significance of these studies, some aspects remained unclear and not well understood because Health-Related Quality of Life is subjective in nature. Therefore, exploring Health-Related Quality of Life from patients’ perspectives, especially in developing countries where the incidence is increasing, reveals how the disease will affect their lives and might help in identifying interventions to improve it. METHODS: The aim of this qualitative study was to provide an understanding of the Health-Related Quality of Life from the perspectives of patients diagnosed with Heart Failure recruited purposefully from the cardiac clinics of public and private hospitals in Amman, Jordan. Data was generated using face-to-face semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three major themes were identified: (1) Perceptions of Heart Failure as a disease; (2) Perceptions of Heart Failure impact on patients' Health-Related Quality of Life domains (physical, psychosocial, spiritual, cognitive and economic); and (3) Recommended strategies to enhance Health-Related Quality of Life. CONCLUSION: Physical domain was the most affected domain in the Health-Related Quality of Life of patients with Heart Failure. It is highly recommended that healthcare professionals find solutions to improve the physical domain of these patients, which would be reflected in the other domains and improve the Health-Related Quality of Life.