Health Related Quality of Life of Patients with Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases During the Coronavirus Pandemic in Ethiopia: A Multi-Facility Study

Abstract

BackgroundThe Coronavirus pandemic is presenting several challenges in Ethiopia on an unprecedented scale. It is affecting the country in different ways ranging from a significant impact on the economy to a disrupted public health delivery of both curative and preventive services. The aim of this study was to assess health related quality of life of patients with chronic non-communicable diseases during the Coronavirus pandemic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA multi-facility based cross sectional study design was conducted in August 2020 among public health institutions in Addis Ababa. Health facilities were chosen purposively based on high number of patient flow. Participants from each health facility were drawn after proportional to size allocation. A translated EQ-5D-3L VAS instrument was used to collect data. Analysis was done using SPSS v.26.0. Descriptive statistics, Mann Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test, Spearman’s rank correlation test and Binary logistic regression were applied. ResultsOf the 409 participants included in the study, majority were in the age group of 46-60 (36%), females (56%), from hospitals (54.8%), jobless (25.4%), married (63.3%) and orthodox Christian (71.4%). Above two third of the patients reported no problems for self-care, usual activity and depression/anxiety. All dimensions showed an increasing proportion of moderate to severe problems in the age group beyond 45. Facility type (U=16651, P=0.001), comorbid condition (U=13248.00, P=0.000) and age (rs=-0.27, p=0.000) were found to show statistically significant score difference for GQoL. An overall prevalence of any problem was 59%. Education level, visit to a health center and marriage were associated with less odds of an affected HRQoL unlike lower monthly income and presence of comorbidities which were opposite.ConclusionsHRQoL of patients in the study settings was found to be suboptimal and below the general population. Education and arrangement of safe and quality health services to such group of patients is warranted especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Health related quality of life among patient with chronic diseases during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

“…The finding of this study is supported by other studies which report that as levels of education increase, the likelihood to have affected health-related quality is decreased [ 15 ]. The justification might be that those who, more educated might be more aware of health and practice better prevention strategies and healthy lifestyles in their lives.…”

“…Age, educational status, duration of treatment, presence of respiratory symptoms, and missed healthcare appointments during COVID-19 were significant variables associated with HRQOL. The finding of this study is supported by studies conducted in India, Turkey, Asia, Morocco, and Ethiopia which reported that these variables were significantly associated with health-related quality of life of patients [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 19 ]. This study identified that, the younger patients were less likely to have poor HRQOL during COVID-19 pandemic compared with elder patient, which is supported by other studies conducted in Ethiopia and Morocco [ 2 , 19 ] which were reported that younger patients were less likely had poor HRQOL compared with elder patient.…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) defines the quality of life (QoL) as individuals´ perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns [ 1 ]. When QoL is studied under specific health conditions, it is termed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) [ 15 ]. Health-related quality of life is an essential health care indicator for diseases.…”

Health-Related Quality of Life and Associated Factors Among Covid-19 Survivors. Experience from Ethiopian Treatment Centers

“…In addition, the associations between lower HRQoL and comorbidities such as COPD, malignancy, and asthma(p<0.05), were also consistent with previous studies on Covid-19. 23 , 41 , 53 , 55 , 63 , 70 , 71 This could be due to respondents who had underlying diseases might be worried about reinfection after being discharged and avoiding both urgent or emergency and routine medical care that improves their health status. 72 This study has several strengths and added value to the current scientific research.…”

“…Our findings are consistent with previous studies, which found a higher burden of psychological distress and fatigue among Covid-19 survivors. 48,52,54,55 This might be due to the fact that Covid-19 survivors have anxiety/depression which is linked to worry about future careers, feelings of job insecurity, loneliness and isolation, concerns about family members, social stigma and discrimination, and workplace discrimination. [56][57][58][59] The high prevalence of anxiety/depression and fatigue among Covid-19 survivors highlighted the need for using the cost-effective psychological interventions such as cognitive behaviour therapy [CBT] that have the potential of combating anxiety/depression to improve the post-Covid-19 trauma.…”