Effects of patient education and counseling about life style on quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of patient education and counseling intervention success on quality of life (QoL) in patients with coronary artery disease patients. Methods: Sample of this study included 82(80.3%) of total 102 patients diagnosed with coronary artery disease. Patients were older than 18 age and they had no perception and communication problems. QoL was measured by means of the Short Form-36 (SF-36) and then subscale scores were calculated in before getting the education and counseling intervention. Subject of education and counseling intervention consists of healthy nutrition, physical activity, maintaining healthy body weight, smoking and alcohol quit issues. After educations and counseling intervention three months later, Short Form-36 was administered. One way analyses of variance for repeated measures (ANOVAR), Chi-square significance test, t-test and nonparametric tests (Wilcoxon sign and Kruskal Wallis Variance) were used to compare demographic and clinic characteristic values of the patient's groups. Results: After education and counseling intervention, SF 36 QoL points, mean exercise duration and number of patients with well -adjusted diet program increased, and diastolic blood pressure decreased (p<0.05 for all). However, mean body mass index, mean number of cigarettes and alcohol drinks per day, systolic blood pressure, lipid levels did not significantly change after education and counseling intervention. Conclusion: Education and counseling intervention in patients with coronary artery disease was accompanied by improvement in physical activity, increase in diet compliance level, significantly reduction of diastolic blood pressure and positive increasing trend in 8 scales of SF-36 quality of life scale. (Anadolu Kardiyol Derg 2011; 11: 107-13)