Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5107, USA.
Heart Lung. 2009 Mar-Apr;38(2):100-8. doi: 10.1016/j.hrtlng.2008.04.002. Epub 2008 Sep 19.
Heart failure (HF) is a progressive clinical condition that results in substantial impairment of quality of life (QOL). Helping patients maintain optimal QOL is essential. QOL reflects patients' subjective perceptions about the impact of a clinical condition and its treatment on daily life; however, definitions in the literature vary widely and few reflect the patient's perspective.
The study explored how patients with HF define and perceive QOL.
Qualitative data were obtained from 14 men and 6 women with HF (mean age 58 +/- 10 years) using semistructured open-ended interviews. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis.
Patients with HF defined QOL as their ability to 1) perform desired physical and social activities to meet their and their family's needs; 2) maintain happiness; and 3) engage in fulfilling relationships with others. Patients perceived a variety of factors as positively or negatively affecting QOL: physical (symptoms and good or poor physical status), psychologic (mood and positive or negative perspective), economic (financial status), social (social support and ability for social activities), spiritual, and behavioral (self-care). Patients perceived that HF had a serious impact on QOL, but most evaluated their QOL as good nonetheless.
Patients' definition of QOL reflected not only the impact of HF on their daily life but also their active pursuit of happiness. Patients' self-evaluation of QOL reflected the negative impact of HF and patients' altered expectations of what constituted good QOL.
心力衰竭（HF）是一种进行性临床病症，会导致生活质量（QOL）严重受损。帮助患者保持最佳的 QOL 至关重要。QOL 反映了患者对临床状况及其治疗对日常生活影响的主观感知；然而，文献中的定义差异很大，很少反映患者的观点。
本研究探讨了 HF 患者如何定义和感知 QOL。
使用半结构式开放式访谈，从 14 名男性和 6 名女性 HF 患者（平均年龄 58 +/- 10 岁）中获得定性数据。使用内容分析法分析访谈数据。
HF 患者将 QOL 定义为他们有能力：1）进行所需的身体和社会活动，以满足他们和他们家庭的需求；2）保持幸福感；3）与他人建立充实的关系。患者认为各种因素对 QOL 有积极或消极的影响：身体（症状和良好或较差的身体状况）、心理（情绪和积极或消极的观点）、经济（财务状况）、社会（社会支持和社交活动能力）、精神和行为（自我护理）。患者认为 HF 对 QOL 有严重影响，但大多数人仍将自己的 QOL 评价为良好。
患者对 QOL 的定义不仅反映了 HF 对他们日常生活的影响，还反映了他们对幸福的积极追求。患者对 QOL 的自我评估反映了 HF 的负面影响和患者对良好 QOL 的期望的改变。
