Assessment of quality of life in patients with congestive heart failure and its correlation with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the quality of life of patients with heart failure and correlate it with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). Method: This is a crosssectional study with a sample of 19 patients, mean age of 66.28 ± 10.93 years, whose quality of life was assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ); for each question a domain of ICF was given whose results were then correlated. Results: The average MLHFQ questionnaire score was 61.21 ± 17.56. There was a positive correlation between the quality of life and left ventricular ejection fraction (r = 0.75; p = 0.0006), which was not seen when comparing the quality of life with functional class. There was a high correlation between patient outcomes and the assessment of the physiotherapist using the ICF. Conclusions: The MLFHQ questionnaire includes the requirements of the ICF, showing a high correlation between its responses and those from the ICF, and is considered global, which allows these instruments to be used in evaluating patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).