Changes in, and Predictors of, Quality of Life among Patients with
Unstable Angina after Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Abstract
Rationale and objectives: Changes in, and predictors of, quality of life
(QoL) among unstable angina patients are informative for both clinical
and public health practice. However, there is little research on this
topic, especially in healthcare settings with limited resources. This
study aims to detect changes in QoL and its associated factors among
patients with unstable angina after percutaneous coronary intervention.
Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted with two repeated
rounds of measurements, one month and three months after intervention,
using the generic SF-36 questionnaire, in 120 patients from Vietnam
National Heart Institute. A linear mixed-effects model was used to
assess changes in patient QoL over time while adjusting for other
covariates. Results: Only 2 out of 8 QoL subscales (social functioning
and emotional well-being) declined after one month, but these tended to
rise again after three months, while scores of all other QoL subscales
increased. Adjusting for covariates, QoL increased slightly after one
month of intervention (β=0.65, 95%CI=-0.86-2.16) but improved by almost
6 QoL points after 3 months (β=5.99, 95%CI=4.48-7.50). Four confounders
significantly associated with a decline in QoL were older age, being
retired, living in rural areas, and having abnormal troponin level.
Conclusion: QoL of the patients with unstable angina improves
significantly three months after intervention, rather than after one
month. To increase QoL, it is important to address risk factors and to
improve the quality of healthcare delivery.