Sepelvaltimotautia sairastavien elämänlaatu ja elämänkulku:pitkittäistutkimus lääkkeillä, pallolaajennuksella tai ohitusleikkauksella hoidettujen kokemuksista

The purpose of this prospective, clinical longitudinal survey was to describe, explain and understand the subjective quality of life and life course of patients with coronary artery disease. The study subjects’ quality of life was assessed at the time of the onset of coronary artery disease, during the treatment process and during rehabilitation. Altogether 280 patients participated, of whom 80 were treated with medication, 100 with transluminal angioplasty, and 100 with bypass surgery. The study population consisted of 189 men and 91 women. At the baseline, the study subjects’ self-care agency was measured with the Self-As-Carer Inventory (SCI). The subjects health-related quality of life was assessed with the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) at the baseline as well as at 6 and 12 months after the procedure. The qualify of life of coronary artery disease patients was compared to the quality of life of an age- and sex-matched Finnish adult population (N = 3600) by using a previous standardisation of the NHP instrument. One year after the treatment, 19 patients who had undergone either bypass surgery or angioplasty attended thematic interviews at their homes. Triangulation of methodologies, methods and data collection was used in the study. The qualitative analysis of personal experiences was carried out using the method of phenomenological psychology described by Amedeo Giorgi based on Husserl’s descriptive phenomenology. Before the treatment procedures, the quality of life of the coronary artery disease patients was significantly poorer than that of the age-matched adult population on the dimensions of energy, pain, emotional reactions, sleep and mobility. Moreover, the female patients with coronary artery disease had poorer health-related quality of life than the corresponding male patients, especially on the dimensions of energy, sleep, emotional reactions and mobility. The quality of life of the patients who had undergone angioplasty or bypass surgery was statistically significantly better one year ...