FACTORS AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE AND THE ROLE OF NURSES FOR PREVENTION

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of some personal factors such as anxiety and Type D personality on the health-related quality of life in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease. Methods: Subject of the study are146 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and a control group of 146 individuals.The survey was conducted through a direct individual questionnaire containing three tools: an adapted questionnaire for the assessment of personal anxiety; a questionnaire for the study of Type D personality (DS-14); a standardized questionnaire for the assessment of the health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-3L). Results: Patients with anxiety and characteristics for type D personality were 45 (30.8%) and subjects from the control group - 13 (8.9%). There was a statistically significant difference between the relative shares of the two groups (t=4.86, p=0.000). Patients with type D personality tested have higher levels of anxiety. The relationships between the areas of HRQL, anxiety and Type D personality were measured by correlation analysis. The established odds ratio shows that patients with a Type D have a 2.94-fold greater risk of disease progression (OR 2.94 (95% CI) 1.84-4.71, P <0.0001); for patients with personal anxiety this risk is higher (OR 3.53 (95% CI) 2.15-5.79, P <0.0001). Conclusion: The significance of the type of personality and the psycho-emotional resources for coping with the disease have been identified as an important component of thealth care. Nurses can play a leading role in shaping health culture and providing better prophylactic care.

Keywords

• type d personality
• health-related quality of life
• prevention
• nurses
• health care