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Monday, November 2, 2009: 3:50 PM
Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand the predictors of health related quality of life in heart failure patients from different countries.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand the cultrual effect of health related quality of life in heart failure patients from different countries.
Introduction: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with heart failure (HF) is a multidimensional construct perceived through the lens of culture. The HRQOL of patients with HF is well known in Western society, but little is known about HRQOL in Asian countries. It is important to examine the diversity of HRQOL in different countries in order to improve HF patients’ outcomes.
Specific Aims: To compare HRQOL between American and Taiwanese patients with HF and determine predictors of HRQOL in American and Taiwanese patients.
Method: HRQOL was compared between 97 Taiwanese (66.1±12.1 age; 77% male; 37% NYHA III/IV) and 96 Americans with HF (61.6±11.7 age; 74% male; 42% NYHA III/IV). HRQOL was measured using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and symptoms using the Pulmonary Function Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire (PFSDQ-M). Hierarchical regression analyses with interaction were used to examine demographic (age, gender), disease severity (ejection fraction, NYHA), symptoms (dyspnea, fatigue), and psychological (depression) predictors of HRQOL.
Result: The HRQOL of patients with HF in the U. S. (33.8±23.4) was poorer than inTaiwan (22.4±18.8, p< .05). In the final regression model for full sample, age, symptoms and depression had a significant impact on HRQOL, ultimately accounting for 48.1% (p<.05) of the variance of HRQOL. Symptoms and depression were powerful predictors affecting HRQOL, accounting for 18% and 5% of the variance in patients with HF from the two groups (Table 1).
Conclusion: The HRQOL of American patients with heart failure is more impaired than Taiwanese. Age, symptoms of dyspnea, fatigue, and depression are dominant predictors of HRQOL in both groups. The predicting effects are the same in both Taiwanese and American without group difference.
Specific Aims: To compare HRQOL between American and Taiwanese patients with HF and determine predictors of HRQOL in American and Taiwanese patients.
Method: HRQOL was compared between 97 Taiwanese (66.1±12.1 age; 77% male; 37% NYHA III/IV) and 96 Americans with HF (61.6±11.7 age; 74% male; 42% NYHA III/IV). HRQOL was measured using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), and symptoms using the Pulmonary Function Status and Dyspnea Questionnaire (PFSDQ-M). Hierarchical regression analyses with interaction were used to examine demographic (age, gender), disease severity (ejection fraction, NYHA), symptoms (dyspnea, fatigue), and psychological (depression) predictors of HRQOL.
Result: The HRQOL of patients with HF in the U. S. (33.8±23.4) was poorer than in
Conclusion: The HRQOL of American patients with heart failure is more impaired than Taiwanese. Age, symptoms of dyspnea, fatigue, and depression are dominant predictors of HRQOL in both groups. The predicting effects are the same in both Taiwanese and American without group difference.