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

INTRODUCTION: 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: Methods: The study was carried out with 101 patients who underwent cardiovascular sur-gery 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: 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.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Conclusion: With this study, it was determined that patients undergoing cardiovascular sur-gery 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 hos-pital administrations and health professionals regarding these problems, to increase their awareness training, and to make patient-oriented planning.