scholarly journals An Exploration of the needs of a Cardiac Rehabilitation Population using a Subjective Quality-of-Life Measure

Author(s):  
Emily Basquille ◽  
Verna McKenna ◽  
Ailish Houlihan ◽  
Kate Molony ◽  
Dr. Veronica McInerney ◽  
...  

Context: The aim of this study was to profile a cardiac rehabilitation population in the West of Ireland and establish Subjective Quality of Life (SQoL), using The Schedule for Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW), a validated subjective QoL measure. Bothersome symptoms (SB) and Symptom Interference in SQoL (SBIQoL) were also assessed using a using a modified SEIQoL-DW. Objectives: QoL is a difficult concept to define, therefore the medical profession often premise QoL on health and illness. The focus of this study was to explore the QoL needs of a cardiac population, with a view to informing the development of a newly formed cardiac rehabilitation support group. The SEIQoL-DW was developed to overcome the limitations of quantitative questionnaires, as it is based on the individual’s personal view of life and its quality. Methods: SQoL, symptoms and SBIQoL, of 22 individuals, who had suffered a cardiac event were explored. SEIQoL-DW is a semi-structured interview, enabling the individual to convert their perspectives into scientific values. QoL areas of importance to patients are called ‘cues’. A modified SEIQoL-DW was used to assess SB and SBIQoL. Data were analysed using both quantitative analysis and qualitative descriptive analysis. Findings: Participants highlighted a range of QoL cues; findings from this study showed that 45% of participants did not rate ‘health’ in the first five QoL cues. A significant number of participants experienced symptoms; a medium negative correlation was found between symptom interference and QoL, rho = -0.353, with high levels of symptom interference associated with low levels of QoL. Conclusions: The range of QoL cues and bothersome symptoms identified in this study had implications for the development of the group, with participants eager to participate and talk candidly about their needs. SEIQoL-DW proved to be an acceptable, reliable and valid technique for measuring both individual QoL, SB and SBIQoL, taking greater consideration of individual perspectives compared with traditional measurement approaches. The significance of nominated symptoms and SBIQoL warrants further attention, especially if these symptoms are reversible.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
K. M. Gicas ◽  
C. Mejia-Lancheros ◽  
R. Nisenbaum ◽  
R. Wang ◽  
S. W. Hwang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background High rates of physical and mental health comorbidities are associated with functional impairment among persons who are homeless. Cognitive dysfunction is common, but how it contributes to various functional outcomes in this population has not been well investigated. This study examines how cognition covaries with community functioning and subjective quality of life over a 6-year period while accounting for the effects of risk and protective factors. Methods Participants were 349 homeless adults (mean age = 39.8) recruited from the Toronto site of the At Home/Chez Soi study, a large Canadian randomized control trial of Housing First. Participants completed up to four clinical evaluations over 6 years. Factor scores were created to index verbal learning and memory (vLM) and processing speed-cognitive flexibility (PSCF). The primary outcomes were community functioning and subjective quality of life. Risk factors included lifetime homelessness, mental health diagnoses, medical comorbidity, and childhood adversity. Linear mixed-effects models were conducted to examine cognition-functional outcome associations over time, with resilience as a moderator. Results Better vLM (b = 0.787, p = 0.010) and PSCF (b = 1.66, p < 0.001) were associated with better community functioning, but not with quality of life. Resilience conferred a protective effect on subjective quality of life (b = 1.45, p = 0.011) but did not moderate outcomes. Conclusions Our findings suggest a need to consider the unique determinants of community functioning and quality of life among homeless adults. Cognition should be prioritized as a key intervention target within existing service delivery models to optimize long-term functional outcomes.


2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 123-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Kapała

AbstractMy paper presents the results of a research study on the relationship between existential/spiritual resources, that is, spiritual sensitivity (a disposition to experience spirituality, manifested in the embracement of the nature of things in the transcendent and final perspective, in moral sensitivity, and the ability to find meaning in paradoxical and limiting situations), spiritual sensitivity components and subjective quality of life (a generalized attitude to one’s own life mode, in the four existential dimensions: psychophysical, psycho-social, subjective, and metaphysical). Study subjects were older adults (60+, n = 522) living in the current, dynamic, uncertain and fluid modern world conditions. The study had two phases – quantitative and qualitative (narrative interviews). To measure the phenomena, the Spiritual Sensitivity Inventory (Straś-Romanowska, Kowal, & Kapała, 2013) and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (Straś-Romanowska, Oleszkowicz, & Frąckowiak, 2004) were used. The results obtained confirmed a strong mutual relationship between spiritual resources and quality of life, also providing an answer to some questions about the nature of spiritual sensitivity, and its integrating, pro-development and pro-health role in the elderly adults’ life in the post-modern era.


2003 ◽  
Vol 253 (5) ◽  
pp. 228-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Bechdolf ◽  
Joachim Klosterkötter ◽  
Martin Hambrecht ◽  
Bärbel Knost ◽  
Christina Kuntermann ◽  
...  

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