ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Quality
of
life with heart failure:
psychosocial determinants to considered by cardiologists
be
R. Jansen, S. Vos, T.J. Cleophas, M.G. Niemeijer, A.H. Zwindermian, B. Buunk
Background. Independent determinants of QOL (quality of life) with heart disease have been recognised and indude factors such as severity of medical condition, comorbidity, and concomitant medication. Psychosocial factors, as 'ability to cope with the unpleasantness ofthe medical condition', 'want of information', and 'sodal identification' have an important influence on self-perceived wellbeing, but their influence on health-related QOL domains and self-perceived QOL in patients with heart failure has not been systematically studied. Objective. To assess correlation between such psychosocial factors and QOL in patients with heart failure. Methods. Patients from the outpatient heart failure clinic of the Martini Hospital, a 1000-bed community hospital in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, were included if their ejection fractions were
Quality
of
life with heart failure:
psychosocial determinants to considered by cardiologists
be
R. Jansen, S. Vos, T.J. Cleophas, M.G. Niemeijer, A.H. Zwindermian, B. Buunk
Background. Independent determinants of QOL (quality of life) with heart disease have been recognised and indude factors such as severity of medical condition, comorbidity, and concomitant medication. Psychosocial factors, as 'ability to cope with the unpleasantness ofthe medical condition', 'want of information', and 'sodal identification' have an important influence on self-perceived wellbeing, but their influence on health-related QOL domains and self-perceived QOL in patients with heart failure has not been systematically studied. Objective. To assess correlation between such psychosocial factors and QOL in patients with heart failure. Methods. Patients from the outpatient heart failure clinic of the Martini Hospital, a 1000-bed community hospital in the city of Groningen, the Netherlands, were included if their ejection fractions were
