BackgroundPregnancy is a specific condition that is neither a disease nor a normal state of health. The attention has been devoted to the relation between the normal, physiological process of pregnancy and the quality of life of women in this period is paid much less attention. Our study focuses on the evaluation of the quality of life by means of a specific questionnaire for physiological pregnancy. The main objective was to evaluate psychometric characteristics of a newly developed, specific QoL.MethodsTwo measures were used: a Czech version of the generic WHOQOL-BREF, validated in 2006, and a new specific-QoL measure. Both measures were administered in each trimester to a sample of 225 pregnant women in the first trimester of a routine pregnancy.ResultsThe reliability of the WHOQOL-BREF scales at different trimesters was evaluated, including the correlation between trimesters. Based on exploratory factor analyses of the specific-QoL measure with the working title QOL-GRAV, one 9-item scale was constructed expressing the degree of specific experiences during pregnancy. All scales were found to have satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach alphas > .7) apart from the social relations subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF.ConclusionsThe general quality and the specific quality of a pregnant woman’s life varies. The specific QOL-GRAV scale is more sensitive to the specific experiences during pregnancy that significantly affect a pregnant woman’s quality of life. A simple specific questionnaire, applicable within prenatal care as well, was designed and validated.

BackgroundBoth prognoses and real demographic trends in developed countries point to the increasing proportion in the population of people above 65 years of age. One of important themes of care for seniors is the assessment of their quality of life. To evaluate the quality of life of seniors three types of tools can be used: general generic tools; generic tools used for the age group of elderly persons; specific tools to detect the quality of life of the elderly who are affected by specific diseases.MethodsThe second type of tool is represented by the OPQOL - 35 questionnaire (Older People’s Quality of Life Questionnaire), which was developed in the UK. It has 35 items and deals with 8 domains of quality of life. With the consent of the author the questionnaire was translated into Czech and verified in a group of 478 seniors aged 60 and above (40 % males, 60 % females). Unlike the British version, the Czech version has seven factors: 1 Role of belief, religion and culture; 2 Health; independence, active life; 3 Financial situation; 4 Family and safe environment; 5 Loneliness; 6 Satisfaction with life; 7 Positive approach to life.ResultsThe Czech version has a very good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha ranges from .726 to .905). It also has satisfactory validity. The results show that with increasing age and number of health problems the satisfaction of the elderly is declining in all seven domains. Conversely, the degree of autonomy in the way of living is positively associated with the satisfaction of seniors. Old people who live alone at home, are self-sufficient and do not need the help of others, are more satisfied with their quality of life than other seniors (i.e..those who are living with their children, in sheltered accommodation or in homes for the elderly). Single, married seniors and seniors with a partner are happier than the widowed ones.ConclusionsThe questionnaire gives good guidance for assessing the current state of the quality of life of seniors, changes in quality over time and for targeted interventions as well.

Given the general ageing of our population, the number of women suffering from the symptoms of oestrogen deficiency in postmenopause, which may affect their health-related quality of life, is increasing. Therefore, health professionals need reliable tools to be able to find out how the strengths and difficulties that affect the health-related quality of life of particular women are perceived. The aim was to create a Czech version of the Menopause Rating Scale, to assess the psychometric characteristics and validate the questionnaire in clinical practice. Methods: Using a repeated and back translation of the Czech version of the questionnaire used worldwide, a sample of 204 women after natural menopause between the ages of 49 and 63 years was tested. Based on the results obtained, verbal protocols, questionnaire feedback, re-filling methods, and evaluation by client and health care professionals, a standardized Czech version was created. Results: Clinical practice was given the use of a Czech version of the Menopause Rating Scale, which allows evaluation of the quality of life related to health in women during postmenopause. It is a short screening questionnaire, which has 11 items. Conclusion:The Czech version of the Menopause Rating Scale is a standardized tool for assessing the quality of life in clinical settings. Although the psychometric structure is difficult, from a practical point of view the questionnaire will help identify three domains: somatic-vegetative, urogenital, and psychological. The questionnaire is also useful for evaluating the intensity of the symptoms of oestrogen deficiency and the possible effect of the applied therapy for women in postmenopause. S O U H R NCíle: Vzhledem k obecnému stárnutí naší populace se zvyšuje i počet žen trpících příznaky estrogenního deficitu v období postmenopauzy, které mohou ovlivňovat i jejich kvalitu života související se zdravím. Z toho důvodu potřebují zdravotníci spolehlivé nástroje, jimiž by mohli zjistit, nakolik jsou prožívané obtíže silné a zda ovlivňují kva-

In the contribution, the authors deal with the assessment of the quality of life of women in the period of their physiological pregnancy. The work first summarizes still existing knowledge concerning the research of the quality of life in the period of pregnancy obtained in abroad and describes methodological approaches to the examination of the quality of life in pregnant women. The targets of the research study were as follows: 1. Mapping of experiencing changes resulting from pregnancy and effects of these changes on the quality of life; 2. Identification of variables considerably affecting the quality of life in this period from the viewpoint of the women; 3. Accumulation of data for a proposal of questionnaire items for a new specific questionnaire, which would be able to sensitively detect the quality of life in pregnant women. The research sample included n = 23 pregnant women (in second to third trimesters) aged on average 32 years, s = 2.64. The data were acquired with the help of a qualitative method of focus groups, and at a further stage of the research, the methodology was based on a work by Strauss and Corbin (1999), particularly with the use of so called grounded theory. The data acquired were analyzed by encoding (open, axial and selective). The main outcome of the qualitative research study is a causal theoretical model summarizing opinions of women concerning the way of affecting the quality of life by physiological pregnancy. The authors identified those variables (associated with the quality of life), which were most considerably perceived by women affected by pregnancy. The qualitative methods made possible deeper assessment of experiencing the pregnancy and quality of life. The data obtained were used for a compilation of a specific questionnaire, which could be useful in determining the quality of life in a larger group of pregnant women.

Příspěvek seznamuje s prvním klinickým ověřením zkrácené české verze celosvětově nejrozšířenějšího dotazníku, který umožňuje diagnostikovat pacientovo pojetí nemoci -dotazníku IPQ-R (Moss-Morrisová et al., 2002). Studie si vytkla tři cíle: zhodnotit pacientovo pojetí nemoci na homogenním vzorku osob, zhodnotit interpretace výsledků sestrami včetně stanovení edukačních potřeb pacientů, zjistit názor sester na oprávněné použití dotazníku v rámci ošetřovatelské anamnézy. Metody: Zkrácená verze dotazníku IPQ-R-CZ (Brief) má 20 položek a má srovnatelné psychometrické parametry původní "dlouhé" verze IPQ-R-CZ. Zjišťuje pět proměnných, které charakterizují pacientovo pojetí nemoci. Sledovaný soubor sestával ze 100 pacientů s převážně kardiovaskulárním onemocněním a pěti sester, které dotazníky administrovaly a podle klíče vyhodnocovaly. Výsledky: Klinické ověření ukázalo, že pro sestry bylo snadné na základě výsledků určit konkrétní oblast edukační potřeby. Závěr: Dotazník by mohl po dalších úpravách a ověřování na základě faktorové analýzy doplnit ošetřovatelskou anamnézu a stát se podkladem edukačního procesu u vybraných pacientů.