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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Congestive heart failure patients' perceptions of quality of life
— the integration of physical and psychosocial factors | | Author(s) | H B Bosworth, K E Steinhauser, M Orr |
| Journal title | Aging & Mental Health, vol 8, no 1, January 2004 |
| Pages | pp 83-91 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Heart disease ; Attitude ; Quality of life ; Mental health [elderly] ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Congestive heart failure (CHF) lowers survival and worsens the quality of life (QOL) of more than 4 million Americans. Both clinicians and standardised instruments used to assess QOL of patients with CHF focus primarily on physical symptoms rather than capturing the full range of concerns. This study gathered descriptions of the components of QOL, as understood by patients living with CHF. The New York Heart Association (NYHA) conducted three focus groups (n=15) stratified by NYHA stage with male patients aged 47 to 82. Thirty attributes of QOL were identified which fell into five broad domains: symptoms, role loss, affective response, coping, and social support. Expectedly, patients reported the importance of physical symptoms; however, they also identified concerns for family, the uncertainty of prognosis, and cognitive function as dimensions of QOL. Changes in patients' lives attributed to CHF were not always considered deficiencies, rather, methods of coping were identified as important attributes representing possible opportunities for personal growth. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-040311215 A |
| Classmark | CQH: DP: F:59: D: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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