The World Health Organization defines quality of life as a person’s perception of his or her life situation in relation to the culture and value system in which he or she lives, in relation to and with respect to his or her functioning assumptions, expectations, and standards set by environmental conditions. Meeting the expectations of patients with CVD is one of the factors that positively influences their health status and leads to better diagnostic and treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to answer three main questions related to patients with chronic cardiovascular disease: (1) What is their quality of life? (2) Are patients’ expectations about the quality of care provided by primary health care physicians/nurses met (and at what level)? (3) Is there a correlation between patients’ quality of life and their expectations of primary health care physicians/nurses? The study involved 193 Polish CVD patients who were cared for at home by a family nurse practitioner working in primary health care facilities. Data were collected from March 2016 to January 2017. The WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Questionnaire and the Author Interview Questionnaire were used for the study. Data analysis was based on the Spearman correlation coefficient test. There was a statistically significant association between patients’ expectations of the physician regarding information about the course of the disease and quality of life in the following domains: environmental r = 0.20, p = 0.006, psychological: r = 0.18, p = 0.015, physical: r = 0.18, p = 0.013, and social: r = 0.16, p = 0.025. Patients who did not expect the nurse to be courteous, understanding, or interested were found to have higher quality of life scores in psychological (r = −0.17, p = 0.023) and physical (r = −0.15, p = 0.044) domains. There was a statistically significant relationship between expectations of care from nurses regarding intimacy during care activities and the level of satisfaction with one’s own health (r = −0.15, p = 0.038) and quality of life (r = −0.14, p = 0.045), as well as quality of life in the domains of physical (r = 0.21, p = 0.004), social (r = 0.19, p = 0.010), and psychological (r = 0.16, p = 0.024). There is a need to define the expectations of patients with chronic cardiovascular disease in primary care, as lack of expectations of a physician/nurse continues to be associated with lower quality of life in all domains.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze selected variables differentiating rural from urban populations, as well as identify potentially increased levels of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic cardiovascular disease. The study was carried out in 193 patients. The study used the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule (CANSAS), the Health Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (HBI), the WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Questionnaire, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale–Modified Version (HADS-M). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test and logistic regression were used for analyses. In rural patients, we observed a relationship between anxiety and age (1/OR = 1.04; 95% CI: 0.91–0.99), the assessment of satisfied needs (1/OR = 293.86; 95% CI: 0.00001–0.56), and quality of life (QoL) in physical (OR = 1.56; 95% CI: 1.11–2.33), social (1/OR = 1.53; 95% CI: 0.04–0.94), and environmental domains (OR = 1.67; 95% CI: 1.06–3.00), as well as between depression and QoL in physical (1/OR = 1.39; 95% CI: 0.50–0.97) and psychological (OR = 1.37; 95% CI: 1.01–1.93) domains. In city patients, we observed a relationship between the drug and Qol in the physical (1/OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 0.62–0.98) and psychological (OR = 1.49; 95% CI: 1.13) domains. Younger patients living in a rural area with a lower assessment of met needs, a higher level of QoL in physical and environmental domains, and a lower social domain, as well as patients living in a city with a lower QoL in the physical domain and a higher psychological domain, have a greater chance of developing anxiety and depressive disorders.

This study aimed to answer three main questions with respect to home caregivers for people with cardiovascular disease: (1) Are the needs of home caregivers being met (and at what level)?; (2) what is the level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment of home caregivers?; (3) what sociodemographic variables of home caregivers are related to unmet needs and level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment? The study used the Camberwell Modified Needs Assessment questionnaire and the Maslach Burnout Inventory questionnaire. This study reports on 161 informal home caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease. We found that younger caregivers were less likely to report unmet needs (p = 0.011), and showed lower rates of burnout on depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. In addition, caregivers who worked more often reported higher levels of met needs (p = 0.022), and showed lower rates of burnout on depersonalization (p = 0.005) and emotional exhaustion (p = 0.018). Subjects residing in urban areas were more likely to report unmet needs (p = 0.007), and showed higher rates of burnout on emotional exhaustion (p = 0.006). Older caregivers who are unemployed and reside in cities should be offered programs to determine their unmet needs and to receive support.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to analyze the variables that influence the effectiveness of home care in patients with chronic cardiovascular disease and their informal caregivers. The study was conducted in 193 patients and their 161 informal caregivers. The study used the WHOQOL-BREF Quality of Life Questionnaire, the health behavior inventory questionnaire (HBI), the Camberwell assessment of need short appraisal schedule (CANSAS) and the hospital anxiety and depression scale–modified (HADS–M) version. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test and logistic regression were used for analyses. Analysis of patients revealed an association between home care effectiveness and the following variables (OR per unit): age (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.95–0.99), educational level (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.05–2.02), financial status (OR = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.21–0.83), medication irregularity (OR = 0.25, 95% CI: 0.07–0.72), presence of comorbidities (OR = 6.18, 95% CI: 1.83–23.78), health care services provided by a nurse (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.03–1.64), and number of visits to a cardiology clinic (OR = 1.25, 95% CI: 1.02–1.59). There was no association between care effectiveness and sex (p = 0.28), place of residence (p = 0.757), duration of cardiovascular disease (p = 0.718), number of home visits (p = 0.154), nursing interventions (p = 0.16), and adherence to lifestyle change recommendations (p = 0.539) or proper dietary habits (p = 0.355). A greater chance of improved health care effectiveness was found in patients whose caregivers reported higher social (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.09–1.44), psychological (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.25–2.37), and physical (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05–1.49) quality of life. Patients with cardiovascular disease who were characterized by lower educational attainment, poorer financial status, fewer visits to cardiology clinics, lower utilization of medical services, poorer self-perception of mental and physical well-being, recent onset of disease symptoms, and irregular use of medications, were much more likely to have poorer health care effectiveness. Patients with cardiovascular disease and their caregivers can be well supported at home as long as the care model is tailored to the specific needs. This includes family care coordination in the health care team, home care, and general practice support.

Wprowadzenie. Prognoza demograficzna GUS zakłada, że pomiędzy rokiem 2010 a 2020 liczba osób w wieku 65 lat wzrośnie z 5,2 mln do 7 mln, a w 2030 osiągnie 8,2 mln. Cel pracy. Celem pracy jest przedstawienie problemów pielęgnacyjno-opiekuńczych pacjentów oddziału geriatrycznego. Materiał i metoda. Badania przeprowadzono wśród 102 pacjentów obu płci w wieku 68-101 lat, hospitalizowanych w Oddziale Geriatrii Wojewódzkiego Szpitala Specjalistycznego w Białej Podlaskiej. Narzędzie badawcze stanowił kwestionariusz ankiety konstrukcji własnej oraz skala Barthel. Wyniki. Najczęstszą przyczyną hospitalizacji pacjentów geriatrycznych było pogorszenie stanu zdrowia (100%) oraz brak możliwości opieki ze strony najbliższych. Ponad połowa badanych zgłaszała drżenie rąk, zaburzenia świadomości, kłopoty z pamięcią, zawroty oraz bóle głowy. Pacjenci zgłaszali również problemy w utrzymaniu higieny osobistej (70-80%). Chorzy lub ich rodziny informacje dotyczące choroby oraz pielęgnacji najczęściej uzyskiwali od lekarza i/lub pielęgniarki (ok 70%). Jednak pacjenci i/lub ich opiekunowie najczęściej oczekują informacji dotyczących sposobu utrzymania higieny osobistej, poprawy sprawności fizycznej oraz zaleceń dietetycznych. Wnioski. Przyczyną hospitalizacji pacjentów geriatrycznych jest pogorszenie stanu zdrowia oraz brak wydolności rodziny w zakresie opiekuńczo-pielęgnacyjnym. Problemami zgłaszanymi przez chorych są drżenia rąk, zaburzania świadomości, kłopoty z pamięcią, oraz trudności w utrzymaniu higieny osobistej. Mimo że pacjenci i/lub ich rodziny uzyskują informacje dotyczące pielęgnowania chorego od lekarza i/lub pielęgniarki, chcieliby jeszcze uzyskać więcej informacji na temat poprawy sprawności fizycznej oraz diety chorego.