Abstract
BackgroundPatient education is crucial in improving the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients. At the same, understanding the concerns and needs of patients is essential in providing appropriate education. This study assessed the educational needs and HRQOL experienced by chronic hepatitis patients.MethodsWe developed structured questionnaires with satisfactory validity and reliability to assess the educational needs of patients. HROQL was measured using a generic Short Form 36 (SF-36) and a liver disease-specific Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ). Descriptive statistic measures and Pearson’s correlation analysis were applied for data analysis.ResultsA total of 135 subjects were recruited from two regional teaching hospitals in Taiwan. “Disease characteristics and management” exhibited the highest mean score (3.17) among all the subscales of educational needs. In comparison with those without antiviral therapy, chronic hepatitis patients undergoing antiviral treatment scored significantly higher on all subscales of educational needs, especially on “side effects of antiviral treatment” (p < 0.010). The median range of the physical component summary score was 45.94, the mental component summary score was 49.37, and the mean CLDQ was 5.70. Several domains of educational needs were significantly inversely correlated with the CLDQ and SF-36 subscales.ConclusionsEducation is highly required by chronic hepatitis patients, especially those receiving antiviral therapy and patients with poor HRQOL. These findings can serve as a useful reference for nursing personnel who perform needs assessment to develop individual nursing instruction and thereby improve the quality of care for chronic hepatitis patients.
Highlights
Patient education is crucial in improving the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients
The key results of this study demonstrated that the chronic hepatitis patients exhibited a strong desire for patient education, for information on “disease characteristics and management.”
The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire (CLDQ) mean score of 5.70 obtained in this study indicated a moderate decrease in the quality of life of the chronic hepatitis patients
Summary
Patient education is crucial in improving the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients. This study assessed the educational needs and HRQOL experienced by chronic hepatitis patients. The major etiologies of chronic hepatitis are viral infection and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in most countries [2, 3]. According to the World Health Organization report in 2015, nearly 240 million people are infected with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), and 130–150 million are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) worldwide. Among these patients, approximately 65 million develop HCC [4]. As a result of the complications of chronic liver inflammation or fibrosis, their negative effects on quality of life, in terms of fatigue, financial burden, and depression, are immeasurable among chronic hepatitis B and C patients [6, 7]
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