Investigation of quality of life and relevant influence factors in patients awaiting lung transplantation.

PURPOSE: To investigate the quality of life and influence factors in patients awaiting lung transplantation.

METHODS: Fifty five participants who waited for lung transplantation were enrolled and received multiple surveys including Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaires (SF-36), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Perceiving Social Support Scale (PSSS).

RESULTS: The subjects awaiting lung transplant scored ranging from (23.18±37.53) to (74.57±26.02) regarding SF-36, significantly lower than norms (p<0.01); they scored (48.09±9.06) and ( 52.18±9.98) in SAS and SDS respectively, which were significant higher compared with norms (p<0.01), the patients scored (5.56±1.04) regarding social total support factor in PSSS questionnaire, and the scores of family support factor was significantly higher than that of outside family support factor (p<0.05). Single factor analysis revealed that the factors affecting quality of life included monthly family per capita income, medical cost source, dyspnea, BMI, anxiety, depression, and social support (p<0.05). Multiple factor analysis screened dyspnea (p<0.001) and depression (p<0.05) as influence factors of quality of life in patients awaiting lung transplantation.

CONCLUSION: Affected by various factors, the quality of life in patients awaiting lung transplant surgery is relatively poor, among which dyspnea and depression are dominant influence factors. Therefore, clinicians should take psychological and physiological measures to effectively enhance the quality of life in patients awaiting lung transplantation.