Examining Quality of Life and its Related Factors in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure Admitted to Hospitals in Ahvaz in 2015

Currently, examining the quality of life is considered an important aspect of the study of chronic diseases. Heart failure affects the quality of life of patients in different degrees. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of life in heart failure patients. This descriptive-analytical research was conducted in 2015, using 126 patients with heart failure at the general hospitals in the city of Ahvaz, Iran. Sampling was performed using a simple method. Data was collected through interviews and a demographic information and quality of life indicator questionnaire, known as the Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ). Data were analyzed using the SPSS software, version 21, with a significance level of 0.05, and the descriptive statistics used were the Pearson correlation coefficient and the Chi-square test. The results showed that 77.7 percent of patients had a low quality of life, 18.2 percent had a moderate quality of life, and only 3.2 percent had a high quality of life. A significant correlation was found between quality of life and the demographic characteristics of age, sex, education level, marital status (P = 0.01) and frequency of admission to the hospital (P = 0.01). The results showed that heart failure had a negative impact on the quality of life for patients. Therefore, evaluation and improvement of quality of life for these patients should be considered one of the duties of nurses.