The Quality of Life of Seniors Hospitalized Due to Cardiovascular Diseases in Poland

Abstract

Introduction: In the light of the increased ageing of the world population, social policy needs to be focused on actions aimed at improving the quality of life of older people. Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the quality of life in a population of seniors hospitalized due to cardiovascular disease. Materials and methods: The study included 408 elderly patients hospitalized for cardiovascular diseases in the Poddębickie Centrum Zdrowia Hospital in Poddębice, Łódzkie voivodship, Poland. The study used two survey questionnaires: the author’s survey questionnaire and the standardized SF36v2 Questionnaire. Statistical analysis of the obtained test results was carried out in the R program, version 3.5.1. Results: Having analyzed the health status of the study group, it was found that the largest group of subjects (84.07%) were treated due to hypertension. Among the ailments that hindered daily functioning, the respondents indicated primarily poor eyesight (53.68%). Patients assessed their own health as ‘mediocre’ (average) (58.58%). The analysis of the study results from the SF36v2 Questionnaire showed that the highest quality of life was in the limited activity due to emotional problems (RE) dimension, social functioning (SF), and physical functioning (PF); the weakest scores were observed in vitality (VT), general health perception (GH), and health transition (HT) dimensions. Conclusions: The significant demographic, social and socio-medical factors that determined respondents’ quality of life were: age, gender, marital status, education and health situation. The analysis of quality of life according to the SF36v2 Questionnaire showed that the study group functioned better in the mental dimension (MCS—mental component summary, overall mental health) than in the physical one (PCS—physical component summary, total physical health).

Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease Using the SF-36, MacNew, and EQ-5D-5L Questionnaires

“…We also found that the age group of >73 reported lower QoL because of physical and emotional limitations that were reported compared to other age groups, such as 66-72 years old. This is an expected outcome that is also confirmed by the findings of other studies which showed that QoL is severely affected to the elderly population [ 9 , 15 ].…”

Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: Its Association with Health Literacy, Self-Efficacy, Social Support, and Health-Promoting Behavior

“…In this study, the mean scores for MCS and PCS of HRQOL were 63.6 (7.8) and 67.8 (10.8) out of 100 points, respectively. The mean scores of HRQOL within our sample were considerably higher than the mean scores of MCS and PCS of elderly patients hospitalized for cardiovascular disease [ 40 ] and long-term dialysis patients [ 41 ]. This finding suggested that with the progression of the chronic diseases, health intervention should include different chronic disease programs to manage chronic conditions and strengthen health status.…”

(An assessment of quality of life, anxiety, and depression of the senior citizens with cardiovascular disease)

“…K rozdílným výsledkům dospěla také studie z Polska, kde byla zjištěna statisticky významná korelace mezi pohlavím a doménou fyzické zdraví a rovněž mezi pohlavím a celkovým skóre fyzické složky kvality života -muži v těchto doménách udávali lepší kvalitu života. 18 Tato variabilita výsledků může být podle našeho názoru způsobena odlišnými sociodemografi ckými poměry v jednotlivých zemích a také volbou jiného nástroje pro hodnocení kvality života. Přesto, že některé nástroje použité v polské i řecké studii lze použít také pro starší populaci, nepokrývají tyto dotazníky na rozdíl od námi použitého nástroje žádné oblasti, které jsou pro seniory výlučně důležité.…”