Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between improvement of health-related quality of life (QOL) and participation in self-care activities and coronary risk factor management at 6 months after discharge for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Methods: A total of 118 patients were asked to complete the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire at discharge and 6 months after discharge. The SF-36 consists of eight subscales: Physical Functioning (PF), Role Physical (RP), Bodily Pain (BP), General Health Perception (GH), Vitality (VT), Social Functioning (SF), Role Emotional (RE) and Mental Health (MH). We examined self-care activities and coronary risk factor management and related factors from SF-36 scores to measure quality of life (QOL) at discharge and 6 months after discharge.
Results: The PF and BP scores at 6 months after discharge were significantly higher than those at discharge. Increasing PF and BP scores indicated improvement in ability to perform physical activities and absence of intense bodily pain that would interfere with activities of daily living or work. Improvement of PF in AMI patients treated with PCI was related to performing exercise after discharge and absence of diabetes mellitus. However, there were no related factors for BP.
Conclusion: Our results indicated that exercise, as a self-care activity after discharge, for AMI patients treated with PCI may be related to the improvement of QOL.

Objective: The present study investigated the health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: Forty-three patients were asked to complete the SF-36 questionnaire at discharge and 6 months after discharge. The SF-36 consists of 8 subscales: Physical Functioning (PF), Role Physical (RP), Bodily Pain (BP), General Health perception (GH), Vitality (VT), Social Functioning (SF), Role Emotional (RE), and Mental Health (MH). We calculated mean scores and standard deviations for these 8 subscales at discharge and 6 months after discharge. Values were compared using the paired student t-test. Results: The PF and BP scores after 6 months were significantly higher than those at discharge, but there were no significant differences in the other subscales. Conclusions: Some of the physical parameters of health-related QOL may improve 6 months after discharge in AMI patients treated with PCI. Since PCI may relieve symptoms such chest pain and chest discomfort, these patients can gradually extend their daily activities. While the physical state may improve, mental health-related QOL does not appear to improve 6 months after discharge.
month ; Discharge, Body Substance, Sample ; Perceived quality of life ; Myocardial Infarction ; SF Brand of Topical Fluoride

This study investigated the percentage of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who engaged in mild exercise at 6 months after discharge based on the stage of behavior change at discharge. Seventeen patients were categorized in the preparation stage and 16 in the contemplation stage at discharge. Overall, 23.5% of AMI patients in the preparation stage engaged in mild exercise at 6 months after discharge compared with 43.8% of patients in the contemplation stage. No significant difference was observed between the patients in the two groups. This suggests that although the stage of behavior change at discharge in AMI patients in this study differed, the percentage of patients who engaged in mild exercise was the same at 6 months after discharge.

Patients with cerebrovascular disease (CVD) were transferred to a recovery phase rehabilitation ward after the acute care phase after the new system establishing recovery-phase rehabilitation wards was started in April 2000. The patients received rehabilitative and nursing care in this ward. This study aimed to clarify the relationship between psychological adjustment and quality of life (QOL) in patients with CVD and to compare this relationship in patients with lateralized cerebral damage (right hemisphere, 19 patients; left hemisphere, 17 patients). Using the Japanese versions of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey for QOL and the Nottingham Adjustment Scale for psychological adjustment, we conducted a survey in three stages: on admission, hospitalization, and discharge. The results revealed that QOL in the group with right hemisphere cerebral damage (right group) and the group with left hemisphere cerebral damage (left group) did not worsen: physical health improved in the right group while physical and mental health in the left group showed rapid improved, despite being lower than in the right group on admission. QOL in both groups was almost the same o discharge. The results for psychological adjustment revealed that both groups showed adjustment in “anxiety/depression”, “disability attitude”, and “disability acceptance” during hospitalization, and psychological adjustment in both groups was similar on discharge.