Kontakt 2009, 11(1):246-251 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2009.041

Experience with measuring the quality of life based on the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in selected groups of patientsSestra a pacient v klinickém ošetřovatelství

Radka Bužgová^1,2,*, Martina Hájková³, Agáta Jasioková¹

¹ Ostravská univerzita, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, Ústav ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence

² Jihočeská univerzita b Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, student doktorského studia

³ Ostravská univerzita, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, Ústav ošetřovatelství a porodní asistence

Disease means a difficult life situation for a patient, which affects his/her quality of life. The target of the study was to measure the quality of life in selected groups of patients: in dialysis patients (n=29), in diabetics (n=100) and in patients after a distal limb amputation (n=82), and to compare these results with population standards. In the contemporary healthcare system, the quality of life serves for the assessment of the efficacy of the care and investigation of impacts of diseases on the patient life. The evaluation can also be used for providing the quality of life in taking care of health in a community and subsequently for a further care planning. The questionnaire WHOQOL-BREF was employed for the quality of life measurement, which determines the quality of life in four domains: physical, psychological, social sphere and environment. In patients after the distal limb amputation, there was a significantly lower score of the quality of life in the physical, psychological and social sphere (not in the domain of environment) compared with the common population. In dialysis patients and in diabetics, there was a lower score of the quality of life in the field of the physical health only. The evaluation of the psychological and social aspects of the quality of life was the same in these patients as in the common population. For the enhancement of the quality of life of patients in the community care, it is particularly necessary to consider those groups of patients, whose disease hits most severely the quality of life in individual areas. Integral multidisciplinary care is also necessary.

Keywords: quality of life; patient; questionnaire; WHOQOL-BREF

Received: October 6, 2008; Accepted: December 19, 2008; Published: May 27, 2009  Show citation