Participation of the nurse in the prevention of patients with CVD through health education and monitoring of health related quality of life

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Introduction. Cardiovascular Disease is the most common cause of mortality worldwide and causes major social and economic problems to society. Despite significant progress in prevention, satisfactory results are still being reported. The education of nurses in Bulgaria includes preparation for promotional, preventive, and health-educational activities, which can be performed in a medical team and independently. Nurses resources could be used effectively to prevent Ischemic Heart Disease. Purpose. The aim of the study is to establish the quality of life in patients with IHD and to promote nursing interventions, including health counseling to address certain behavioral risk factors and monitoring. Methods. The study was conducted in two stages. A case-control study was performed in 146 patients with chronic ischemic heart disease and the same number of controls. The two groups are equal in gender. For the purposes of the research, a standardized questionnaire for the study of health-related quality of life was used (EQ-5D-3L, an adapted Bulgarian version). The experimental part included 52 patients with IHD, who are monitored in Primary medical care. Health education was provided by a nurse to reduce behavioral risk factors and monitor indicators. The study covers adults who have given informed consent to participate, in compliance with the ethical principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration. Results. The results of the quality of life test EQ-5D-3L show more problems in the group of patients in the field of mobility (41.1%) (U = 5.58; p <0.05). There was a significant difference in the relative proportions of patients and controls with problems in the field of self-care, usual routine and pain/discomfort (U = 3.13; p <0.05), which is reflected in a lower self-assessment of quality of life. There is a statistically significant difference in the mean values between patients and controls (t = 13.5, p = 0.001). Short health sessions were conducted with 52 patients to correct behavioral risk factors: guidelines for physical activity, diet, creating an appropriate daily routine, patient diary for blood pressure control, weight reduction, smoking cessation and others. Conclusions. The nurse can contribute to improving the prevention of CVD by educating patients in a healthy lifestyle, self-management and reducing behavioral risk factors. The delegation of preventive activities within the competence of the nurse can improve the health services and quality of life of patients with coronary heart disease.