Quality of life of patients with heart failure. A systematic review

ABSTRACT

Background:Heart Failure (HF) is a chronic progressive disease, a major public health problem, as patients experience a variety of symptoms, both physical and emotional, that directly affect their daily lives and quality of life.

Aim: The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the quality of life of patients with HF and the factors that affect it.

Material and Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed and a search for studies in the international databases PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane Database. A time limit was set regarding the date of publication of the articles (articles that have been published in the last 10 years). Ten studies were found that met the criteria for their participation in the review.

Results: According to the results of the studies the majority found that the quality of life of patients with HF is reduced, affecting both physical and emotional dimensions. Factors associated with a negative impact on quality of life were gender, age, severity of the disease, comorbidities, financial status, occupation and educational level.

Conclusions: The quality of life of patients with heart failure is affected by various demographic and clinical characteristics. Theassessment of the quality of life of patients with heart failure will help health professionals assess their needs and provide patients with personalized holistic nursing care.

Keywords: Heart failure, quality of life, nursing intervention