Evaluating the around and after Menopausal Symptoms and Personal Perception of Quality of Life among Women in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, Attending the Hospital and PHCs

Background: Menopause is a period where natural cessation of menses occurs, some quality of life characteristics changes with some symptoms associated with this time such as hot flushes and anxiety. Objective: To evaluate and specify the level of impact of these symptoms on the quality of life among women in the Qatif area, Saudi Arabia and to study the factors that may involve in their perception. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 151 women aged 40 - 60 years old interviewed at either hospital or PHCs, a translated and revised questionnaire of other studies with some adoption. Results: 151 women out of 200 participated in questionnaires, majority of them were highly educated having at least a bachelor’s degree around 80%, and around 75% of participants were either working or retired, with a moderate level of income and enjoying a good lifestyle 93% in around and 97% in the after menopause. With the majority, were not used hormones 95% or conceptive pills 91%, personal perception of health were high around 93% for around and 97.2% for after menopause with no significant statistical difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Perception and knowledge of menopause were very high, with no differences in the severity of symptoms of the four QOL domains for the around or after menopause among the participants. High level of education and increased level of income and knowledge of the participants may play an important role in the result, so further investigation is advised.

Quality of Life in Cancer Patients with Pain in Beijing

Objective： To investigate the quality of life （QOL） of cancer pain patients in Beijing, and explore the effect of cancer pain control on patients＇ QOL. Methods： Self-developed demographic questionnaire, numeric rating scale and SF-36 questionnaire were used together among 643 cancer pain patients in 28 Grade 2nd to 3rd general hospitals and 2 Grade 3rd cancer hospitals. Results： The SF-36 eight dimensions scores ranged from 31.75 to 57.22 in these cancer pain patients. The t test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare the QOL between pain controlled （PC） group and pain uncontrolled （PUC） group, and the results showed that patients in PC group had the higher O, OL scores in 6 areas of SF-36 （P〈0.05）. Binary logistic regression results found that pain management satisfaction scores （P〈0.001）, family average personal monthly income （P=0.029）, current receiving chemotherapy （P=0.009） and cancer stage （P〈0.001） were the predictors to cancer pain controlled results. Conclusion： Cancer patients with pain in Beijing had poor QOL. Pain control will improve the QOL of cancer pain patients.

Value of quality of life analysis in liver cancer: A clinician's perspective

Health related quality of life(HRQOL) is increasingly recognized as an important clinical parameter and research endpoint in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). HRQOL in HCC patients is multifaceted and affected by medical factor which encompasses HCC and its complications, oncological and palliative treatment for HCC, underlying liver disease, as well as the psychological, social or spiritual reaction to the disease. Many patients presented late with advanced disease and limited survival, plagued with multiple symptoms, rendering QOL a very important aspect in their general well being. Various instruments have been developed and validated to measure and report HRQOL in HCC patients, these included general HRQOL instruments, e.g., Short form(SF)-36, SF-12, Euro Qo L-5D, World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment 100(WHOQOL-100), World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment abbreviated version; general cancer HRQOL instruments, e.g., the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC) QLQ-C30, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy(FACT)-General, Spitzer Quality of Life Index; and liver-cancer specific HRQOL instruments, e.g., EORTC QLQ-HCC18, FACT-Hepatobiliary(FACT-Hep), FACT-Hep Symptom Index, Trial Outcome Index. Important utilization of HRQOL in HCC patients included description of symptomatology and HRQOL of patients, treatment endpoint in clinical trial, prognostication of survival, benchmarking of palliative care service and health care valuation. In this review, difficulties regarding the use of HRQOL data in research and clinical practice, including choosing a suitable instrument, problems of missing data, data interpretation, analysis and presentation are examined. Potential solutions are also discussed.

Assessment of disease specific knowledge and health-relatedquality of life among United States military veterans withinflammatory bowel disease

AIM To evaluate the association between patientdisease knowledge of inflammatory bowel disease （IBD）and health related quality of life （HRQoL） and identifypatient and disease related predictors of patientknowledge of IBD.METHODS： We performed a cross-sectional study ofIBD patients with an established diagnosis of IBD longerthan 3 mo prior to enrollment. The Crohn＇s and colitisknowledge score （CCKNOW） and short inflammatorybowel disease questionnaire （SIBDQ） were selfadministeredto assess patient knowledge of IBDand HRQoL, respectively. Demographic and diseasecharacteristics were abstracted from the electronicmedical record. The correlation between CCKNOWand SIBDQ scores was assessed by a linear regressionmodel. Associations of patient knowledge and thevariables of interest were calculated using ANOVA.RESULTS： A total of 101 patients were recruited.Caucasian race, younger age at diagnosis, and having a college or post-graduate degree were significantlyassociated with higher CCKNOW scores. Patients withCD had higher CCKNOW scores compared to patientswith ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel diseasetype unclassified, P 〈 0.01. There was no significantcorrelation between overall CCKNOW and SIBDQ scores（r^2 = 0.34, P = 0.13）. The knowledge sub-domain ofdiet in CCKNOW was negatively correlated with HRQoL（r^2 = 0.69, P 〈 0.01）.CONCLUSION： IBD diagnosis at a younger age inaddition to Caucasian race and higher education weresignificantly associated with higher knowledge aboutIBD. However, patient knowledge of IBD was notcorrelated with HRQoL. Further studies are required tostudy the effect of patient knowledge of IBD on otherclinical outcomes.

Study of the relationship between selfstigma and subjective quality of life for individuals with chronic schizophrenia in the community

Background Studies conducted outside of China have found that stigma can predict low quality of life, and research in China has shown that stigma has an impact on the quality of life of convalescent patients with schizophrenia. Nevertheless, there is no indepth research on the impact of stigma on the quality of life of patients.Aims To research the correlation of stigma and the subjective quality of life of persons with chronic schizophrenia in the community.Methods We adopted a stratified sampling method.General questionnaire, quality of life scale and stigma scale were given to 602 persons with chronic schizophrenia in the community.Results The mean(SD) value of the Subjective Quality of Life Scale total scores was 32.99(13.85). The mean(SD)value of the total stigma scores was 43.50(5.02). After correlation analysis and multivariate stepwise regression analysis, it was shown that the total scores for self-stigma and each factor were positively correlated with subjective quality of life(r=0.462, p<0.001), psychosocial factors(r=0.517, p<0.001), and symptoms and adverse reaction factor scores(r=0.363, p<0.001),and the correlation coefficients were statistically significant.Conclusions The higher the stigma of persons with schizophrenia in the community, the lower the subjective quality of life is. This suggests that reduction of self-stigma should be considered in the improvement of the quality of life of persons with schizophrenia in the community.

The impact of hearing impairment and noise-induced hearing injury on quality of life in the active-duty military population:challenges to the study of this issue

The objectives of this review were to 1)summarize the available evidence on the impact of hearing loss on quality of life(QOL)among U.S.active-duty service members,2)describe the QOL instruments that have been used to quantify the impact of hearing loss on quality of life,3)examine national population-level secondary databases and report on their utility for studying the impact of hearing loss on QOL among active-duty service members,and 4)provide recommendations for future studies that seek to quantify the impact of hearing loss in this population.There is a lack of literature that addresses the intersection of hearing impairment,the military population,and quality of life measures.For audiological research,U.S.military personnel offer a unique research population,as they are exposed to noise levels and blast environments that are highly unusual in civilian work settings and can serve as a model population for studying the impact on QOL associated with these conditions.This review recommends conducting a study on the active-duty service member population using a measurement instrument suitable for determining decreases in QOL specifically due to hearing loss.

Improvements of quality of life in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with gefitinib

Objective:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of gefitinib on improvement of quality of life (QoL) of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods:There were 70 patients with advanced NSCLC. One oral gefitinib tablet (250 mg) was administered every day without interruption unless disease progression or unacceptable toxicity occurred. The impact of treatment on disease-related symptoms and QoL was evaluated with the Chinese versions of European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaires (EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-LC13). Results: Fifty-eight patients had finished the questionnaires. The mean scores of five functioning scales (physical, role, emotional, cognitional and social) were 62.64, 56.03, 68.41, 64.67, 60.63 respectively after eight weeks of treatment, which were 52.30, 49.43, 64.39, 59.79, 52.30 respectively before treatment, and the mean score of global QoL after and before treatment was 60.17 and 52.70 respectively. There was statistical difference in five functioning scales and global QoL (P < 0.05). Mean scores of main general symptoms (fatigue and appetite loss) were 57.66 and 48.08 respectively after eight weeks of treatment, which were 61.11 and 51.72 respectively before treatment, and mean scores of disease-related symptoms (dyspnoea, coughing, empsyxis, pain in chest) were 48.66, 47.13, 26.82, 24.71 respectively after eight weeks of treatment, which were 54.98, 53.64, 27.78, 28.54 respectively before treatment. There was statistical difference in fatigue, dyspnoea, cough and pain in chest (P < 0.05). Response rate of five functioning and global QoL were all more than 50% after gefitinib treatment. Response rate of main general symptoms and disease-related symptoms were all more than 40%. QoL and symptom response correlated with disease control. The patients with better QoL had longer survival. Conclusion: gefitinib treatment can improve the QoL and symptoms of advanced NSCLC patients.

The Influence of Pain: Quality of Life after <i>Pectus excavatum</i>Correction

Introduction: The main indication for surgery of thoracic wall deformities (TWD) is psychological due to cosmetic complaints. The assumption is that appearances have a negative effect on?self-esteem and quality of life?(QoL). Correction should result in improvement. Methods: Prospective trial. QoL was assessed using the?CHQ and the WHOQOL-bref. Measurements were taken before surgery (T1) and 6 weeks thereafter (T2). Results: Forty-two patients were included.?WHOQOL-bref showed differences between pre-operative and?six weeks past surgery on facet body image (p = 0.003).?Self-esteem (CHQ) did not show a significant improvement at T2.?Concerning the scores on the single step questionnaire (SSQ),?33 patients were “very” to “extremely satisfied” with appearance and increased self-esteem (p < 0.001). Concerning the domain “pain and physical complaints”, CHQ did show a significant change (p < 0.001) with more complaints at T2. Conclusion: Six weeks after surgical correction of a TWD satisfaction with the “new” chest is good;pain seems to be a problem with possible negative influence on self-esteem.

Spatio-temporal Dynamic of Quality of Life of Residents, Northeast China

Quality of life(QOL) is a hotspot issue that has attracted increasing attention from the Chinese Government and scholars, it is also a vital issue that should be addressed during the cause of ′establishing overall well-off society′. Northeast China is one of the most import old industrial bases in China, however, the industrial structure of heavy chemical industry and the development mode of ′production first, living last′ have leaded to series of social problems, which have also become a serious bottleneck to social stability and economic sustainable development. Through applying the methods of BP neural network, exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA) and spatial regression model, this paper examines the space-time dynamics of QOL of the residents in Northeast China. We first investigate the indexes of QOL of the residents and then use ESDA methods to visualize its space-time relationship. We have found a spatial agglomeration of QOL of the residents in middle-southern Liaoning Province, central Jilin Province and Harbin-Qiqihar-Daqing area of Heilongjiang Province. Two third of the counties are low-low spatial correlation, and the correlative type of about 60% of the prefecture level areas keeps stable, indicating QOL of the residents in Northeast China shows a certain character of path dependence or spatial locked. We have also found that economic strength and development levels of service industry have positive and obvious effect on QOL of the residents, while the effect of such indexes as the social service level and the proportion of the tertiary industries are less.

Malnutrition and Quality of Life in Chinese Cancer Patients: a Clinical Study of 23,994 Subjects

Background Malnutrition is common in patients with cancer,and can negatively impact their quality of life(QoL)and even survival.However,there is currently no large data available on the prevalence of malnutrition in Chinese cancer patients.This study evaluated the prevalence of malnutrition and the QoL of Chinese patients with locoregional,recurrent or metastatic cancer.Methods We conducted a nationwide observational,multi-center,hospital-based cross-sectional study within the Chinese Society of Nutritional Oncology(CSNO)Network.All of the patients were diagnosed with one of the following 18 different types of malignant tumors:lung cancer,gastric cancer,liver cancer,colorectal cancer,breast cancer,esophageal cancer,cervical cancer,endometrial cancer,nasopharyngeal carcinoma,malignant lymphoma,leukemia,pancreatic cancer,ovarian cancer,prostate cancer,bladder cancer,brain cancer,biliary tract malignant tumors or gastrointestinal stromal tumors.These patients were enrolled from 72 hospitals located in different regions of China.The patients’nutritional status was evaluated based on the body mass index(BMI),loss of bodyweight,laboratory measurements and patient generated-subjective global assessment(PG-SGA)scores.The cancer patients’physical status and QoL were assessed by the Karnofsky Performance Status(KPS)questionnaire and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC)QLQ-C30 questionnaire,respectively.Results From December 2013 to April 2016,23,994 patients hospitalized for cancer treatment(such as surgery,chemotherapy or radiotherapy)were enrolled in the study.The patients included 12,494(52.9%)males and 11,124(47.1%)females.The mean age was 55.8±13.7 years.The proportions of patients in cancer stagesⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ,Ⅳand uncertain were 11.5%,20.3%,27.5%,30.2%and 10.5%,respectively.Among the 23,994 inpatients,the proportions of patients who were underweight(BMI<18.5 kg/m2),normal(18.5 kg/m2<BMI<24 kg/m2),overweight(24 kg/m2≤BMI<28 kg/m2)and obese(BMI≥28 kg/m2)were 9.3%,59.9%,26.1%and 4.7%,respectively.A total of 18.3%(4,101/22,424)of patients had lost 5%or more of their bodyweight within the past month and 19.6%(2,463/12,538)of patients had lost 10%or more of their bodyweight within the past 6 months.According to the PG-SGA scores,26.6%of the patients were severely malnourished(score≥9),31.3%were moderately malnourished(scores 4~8).A total of 22.2%of patients had a serum albumin level lower than 35g/L.Only 8.6%(2056/23,991)of the patients had severe KPS scores(≤60).The patients with these severe KPS scores were most frequently among those with cancers of the brain(19.7%),prostate(18.0%),pancreas(15.5%)and bladder(15.0%).Based on the QLQ-C30 score,11.6%of patients had a poor QoL.The PG-SGA score and global QoL were correlated(r=-0.593,P<0.001).Conclusion The prevalence of malnutrition in patients with cancer is relatively high,and is related to a poorer QoL.The present findings should be kept in mind when assessing cancer patients,because addressing the patient’s problems in nutritional status would be expected to improve both the clinical outcomes and QoL in cancer patients with malnutrition.

Quality of life of parents and siblings of children with cochlear implants

Objectives: This study examined the quality of life(QoL) of the parents and siblings of hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants(CIs).Design: This is a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study. The questionnaire consists of three sub-domains-interaction, emotional well-being and support for the hearing-impaired child and the overall QoL – and two open-ended questions for participants to provide comments and suggestions to enhance their family's QoL. A total of 63 questionnaires were e-mailed or mailed to families who met the inclusion criteria.Setting: The study was conducted under the Center for Rehabilitation & Special Needs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.Participants: A total of 79 parents and 23 siblings from 44 families of children with CI participated in this study.Main outcome measures: The mean score for each of the sub-domain and the overall QoL for both subject groups were computed. The answers for the open-ended questions were listed and organized into themes.Results: There were significant correlations between the overall QoL score and each of the test domains for the parents' group(p < 0.01). For the siblings' group, only the interaction and support domains were significant.Interaction was the main sub-domain affecting the parents' QoL but for siblings, this could not be determined. A total of 60% of the pooled comments were classified as ‘concerns'. As for the suggestions, 38.7% requested some form of support, mainly financial(41.7%).Conclusions: Families with hearing impaired children with CI have numerous concerns that need to be addressed, even though, on average, they were satisfied with their overall QoL.

Post-surgery Quality of Life in Patients with Acromegaly Using SF36 Quality of Life Questionnaire-prospective Study

Introduction:Acromegaly is chronic progressive disease with multisystem involvement characterised by an excess secretion of growth hormone and increased circulating insulin like growth factor 1 concentration.Aims and Objectives:To assess surgical outcome of acromegaly patients at tertiary care institute using SF 36 quality of life questionnaire.SF-36 scores comprise 3 components:the physical component summary(PCS),the mental component summary(MCS)and role-social component summary(RCS).30 acromegaly patients admitted in Guwahati medical college were enrolled in study and followed up post operatively for surgical remission.All participants completed the SF-36 preoperatively,1 year and 2 years postoperatively.Material and Method:Out of 30 patients 6 patients had surgical remission post operatively on the basis of postoperative glucose suppressed GH Level done after 12 weeks.Preoperatively subscale scores(physical functioning,role physical,general health)which were below the set standards for the normal population show significant postoperative improvements along with mental health(MH)scores.Similarly,PCS,MCS and RCS scores changed significantly after surgery.We also compared the QOL of 6 patients whose peak GH level was<0.4μg/L during postoperative oral glucose tolerance testing with those patients whose nadir GH level was≥0.4μg/L.There was significant difference between partial and complete remission group in subscale score role physical,social function and mental health.Similarly,PCS and RCS score significantly different in partial and complete remission group than MCS score.Conclusions:QOL is considerably reduced in patients with acromegaly compared to general population which improves significantly after surgical treatment.Patients achieving the new remission criteria had significant improvement in physical and social components than those who did not.

Endoscopic full-thickness plication along with argon plasma coagulation for treatment of proton pump inhibitor dependent gastroesophageal reflux disease

BACKGROUND Most endoscopic anti-reflux interventions for gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD)management are technically challenging to practice with inadequate data to support it utility.Therefore,this study was carried to evaluate the effectiveness and safety newer endoscopic full-thickness fundoplication(EFTP)device along with Argon Plasma Coagulation to treat individuals with GERD.AIM To evaluate the effectiveness and safety newer EFTP device along with Argon Plasma Coagulation to treat individuals with GERD.METHODS This study was a single-center comparative analysis conducted on patients treated at a Noble Institute of Gastroenterology,Ahmedabad,hospital between 2020 and 2022.The research aimed to retrospectively analyze patient data on GERD symptoms and proton pump inhibitor(PPI)dependence who underwent EFTP using the GERD-X system along with argon plasma coagulation(APC).The primary endpoint was the mean change in the total gastroesophageal reflux disease health-related quality of life(GERD-HRQL)score compared to the baseline measurement at the 3-month follow-up.Secondary endpoints encompassed enhancements in the overall GERD-HRQL score,improvements in GERD symptom scores at the 3 and changes in PPI usage at the 3 and 12-month time points.RESULTS In this study,patients most were in Hill Class II,and over half had ineffective esophageal motility.Following the EFTP procedure,there were significant improvements in heartburn and regurgitation scores,as well as GERDHRQL scores(P<0.001).PPI use significantly decreased,with 82.6%not needing PPIs or prokinetics at end of 1 year.No significant adverse events related to the procedures were observed in either group.CONCLUSION The EFTP along with APC procedure shows promise in addressing GERD symptoms and improving patients'quality of life,particularly for suitable candidates.Moreover,the application of a lone clip with APC yielded superior outcomes and exhibited greater cost-effectiveness.

Quality of Life and Chinese Medicine──The Development of Health Status Measures for Chinese Medicine

Quality of Life (QOL) is a multiphase conception, including physical, mental and social factors, and can overall reflect health status of the human. At present, QOL has become a relevant measure of efficacy of treatment in clinical trials. Its use is spreading, and its importance is growing as a valid indicator of whether or not a medical treatment is

Quality of Life in Ovarian-Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

Background: Ovarian cancer accounts for 4% of cancers occurring in women and ranks first in gynecological cancer mortality. Maintaining and improving quality of life is an important goal of cancer treatment. The toxicities of cancer treatment particularly chemotherapy can impact an individual’s wellbeing. Objective: Assessment of quality of life among ovarian cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Method: A descriptive study was conducted among 202 patients with ovarian cancer treated at the National Institute of Cancer Research and Hospital in Bangladesh. Ethical approval was received from the ethics committee of NICRH. Data was collected using the EORTC QLQC30 questionnaire and the ovarian cancer specific EORTC QOL OV-28 module. Functional, symptomatic and global variables were scored and analyzed by SPSS. Multiple linear regressions determined the effects of predictor variables and correlation of the global health status with other variables. Results: 48.6% of patients were ages 41 to 50 years. The mean score of global health status was 55.77. Deteriorating emotional function, distressing physical and psychological symptoms, sexual dysfunction and financial difficulties adversely affect the quality of life. Their correlation with global health status was strongly significant (P value < 0.05). Fatigue (r value -0.604;p < 0.05) loss of appetite (r value -0.442;p < 0.05), insomnia (r value -0.339;p < 0.05), dyspnea (r value -0.377;p < 0.05), heartburn (r value -0.369;p < 0.05), and alopecia (r value -0.262;p < 0.05) were negatively associated with QOL. Conclusion: The overall quality of life among the ovarian cancer patients receiving chemotherapy is low. Increasing knowledge in this area will help clinicians to optimize patient management. Interventions should focus on both physical and psychological and sexual health issues that adversely affect the quality of life.

169 patients with postoperative breast cancer on exercising the function of limbs and investigating quality of life:a clinical study

Objective:The aim of this study was to observe the physical training influence on the limbs of postoperative breast cancer patients with adjuvant chemotherapy and do dual-response quality of life(QOL) according to clinical characteristics of patients.Methods:from February 2007 to December 2008,169 patients with postoperative breast cancer were included.We put all the patients into two groups randomly,including 80 patients in the treatment group and 89 patients in the control group.When the cycle of chemotherapy has been completed or on the 28th day postoperatively,all the patients need to be measured the function of upper limbs.The patients in the treatment group perform the rehabilitative training by our rehabilitation gymnastics,and the patients in the control group perform the rehabilitative training by themselves.When 6 cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy have been completed,we evaluated the differences of the function of upper limbs in patients.At the same time,we hand out the QOL questionnaire to patients and their doctors for doing the two-way assessment.Results:Compared with patients in control group,patients in treatment group have better in the abductive angle of shoulders and myodynamia(P = 0.000).By analysis on 156(92.3%) questionnaires,we found that the match rate of doctors and patients with physiological functions and physical symptoms were better than mentation and relationships.The better match rate between doctors and patients in QOL questionnaires suggested that the QOL of patients would be improved in the higher rate.Conclusion:Exercising the function of limbs in early could be beneficial to the patients with postoperative breast cancer and effectively improve patient's QOL.Meanwhile,we put doctors' questionnaires in the assessment of patients' QOL,and the results show that the assessment of patients' QOL is more objective and complete.

College Freshmen＇s Quality of Life and Its Perceived Determinants： A Case Study of a Chinese Island University

The aims of the study were to investigate health-related quality of life （QoL） and its perceived determinants among college freshmen at an island Chinese University located between China and Taiwan. The framework of QoL given by the WHO was employed to evaluate the QoL of 404 college freshmen in January 2013, and a retrospective approach was adopted to solicit the participants＇ perceived determinants of their QoL. Each participant completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and specified reasons for their degree of satisfaction in each life facet addressed in the questionnaire. The participants expressed a moderate degree of satisfaction in all of the life facets measured （M = 3.29）, with 3.4 in the physical, 3.3 in the psychological, 3.1 in the social, and 3.2 in the environmental domain on a 5-point scale. Among the 24 life facets assessed, sleep quality, transportation availability, medical service quality, concentration, and energy were the top five unsatisfactory facets. Determinants of the participants＇ QoL involved multiple factors such as the ease of day-to-day living, living environment, psychological factors, time arrangement, sleep quality, etc. The freshmen year is a transition period requiring great adjustment in lifestyle due to the change from secondary to tertiary education and from home stay with parents＇ care to independent dormitory life. The findings of the study indicated that college freshmen in the context of the university studied had not experienced expected satisfactory levels of life quality, and that the perceived determinants of their life quality could be further addressed for promotion of health and education quality. The study could serve as an example to call for regular examinations on students＇ experience and discrepancies between experience and expectation in order to address related issues for higher educational quality.

Deciphering the Quality of Life among Tuberculosis Patients under RNTCP in Karnataka, India

Background: The Tuberculosis (TB) disease has immense impact on physical, psychological, economic and social well-being of an individual. It is desired that the patient with any kind of TB disease should lead a respectable and happier life during their course of TB treatment. Currently, the quality of life (QOL) is an important indicator to assess the well-being of a person and there is paucity of such information among TB patients. Hence, we conducted to assess and compare the QOL of Revised National TB Control Programme registered Drug sensitive TB patients, Drug resistant TB patients and general population of Gadag district in Karnataka, India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Gadag district, Karnataka from March 2017 through March 2018 among drug sensitive, drug resistant TB patients and general population. A Non-probability purposive sampling was adopted to select the samples that were matched for age, gender and ward. The select patients were administered WHO QOL-BREF questionnaire by trained personnel. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 12 analysis software. Results: The scores obtained for the four domains of QOL were (a) physical health: 69.62 + 18.29 (b) Psychological: 66.96 + 18.62 (c) Environment: 60.99 + 15.05 and (d) Social relationships: 53.5 + 19.93. Conclusions: The drug resistant TB patients have poor QOL when compared to drug sensitive and general population.