Acceptance of illness and quality of life in heart failure

Introduction. Chronic heart failure (HF) is a serious health problem associated with a reduced quality of life (QoL) of patients. The health condition significantly affects life and functioning of man, therefore, affects the acceptance of illness and the assessment of the quality of life.

Aim. The assessment of influence of acceptance of disease on the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure.

Material and methods. The study included 100 patients with chronic heart failure treated at the Lower Silesian Cardiology Specialist Hospital. The study was conducted using a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire, the integral part of which was the quality of life scale SF-36 and the scale of acceptance of AIS disease.

Results. The study involved 64 men and 36 women. People living in rural areas and the unemployed had poorer quality of life and lower scale of values of acceptance of the disease. Support from the family has a significant impact on the perceived quality of life among of the study group. A higher level of acceptance of the disease was associated with lower values of physical dimension, mental dimension and the index of the quality of life, hence, a significantly better quality of life in those dimensions. Conclusions. Patients with HF with a lower level of acceptance of the disease have a much lower quality of life.

Nursing Topics 2015; 23 (1): 69–74