Investigation of Psychosocial Problems and Quality of Life Experienced in Cardiovascular Surgery Patients

Abstract

Aim: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the psychosocial problems and quality of life experienced by patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery. Methods: The study was carried out with 101 patients who underwent cardiovascular surgery in a tertiary hospital between August 2017 and January 2018. As a data collection tool, patient data collection form which was created by the researchers, and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire Quality of Life Scale were used. Number, percent distributions, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal–Wallis test were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The mean age of the patients was 58.7 ± 13.8 years, 61.4% were males, 84.2% were married, and 40.6% were university graduates. The mean quality of life scores of the patients was between 50.69 ± 19.82 and 65.98 ± 16.58. The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey Questionnaire Quality of Life Subscale mean scores of patients who were female, illiterate, had open-heart surgery, had previous hospitalization experience, experienced preoperative anxiety, and had difficulty in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities were found to be lower. Conclusion: With this study, it was determined that patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery experience psychosocial problems, and their quality of life related to this surgery was adversely affected. It is recommended to provide regulations for the services of both hospital administrations and health professionals regarding these problems, to increase their awareness training, and to make patient-oriented planning.