Analyzing factors affecting quality of life in patients hospitalized with chronic wound

Studies have reported associations between health-related quality of life (HRQOL), social support, and mental stress of patients with chronic wound, while the causal relationship is unclear and little is known about the HRQOL of hospitalized them. We therefore investigated the status of HRQOL of hospitalized patients with chronic wound and the causal relationships among social support, mental stress (anxiety and depression) and HRQOL of which.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted and the demographic and disease characteristics, HRQOL, perceived social support and mental stress of 216 hospitalized patients with chronic wound was surveyed through questionnaires collected by face to face interview.

(1) The HRQOL of the non-retired patients was better than that of the retirees (P < .05); Patients with a diabetic foot ulcer, who slept less than 5 hours per night, with moderate pain, wound odor had worse HRQOL (P < .05); Sleep status, diagnosis, and pain scores were entered into the prediction equation of physiological quality of life (PQOL) of the patients (r² = 0.125, P < .05), retired or not and wound odor were entered into the prediction equation of mental quality of life (MQOL) (r² = 0.127, P < .05). (2) Perceived social support had a positive predictive effect on the HRQOL of hospitalized patients with chronic wound (β = 1.161, P < .001), and a negative predictive effect on mental stress of them (β = -0.902, P < .001). The effect of social support on the HRQOL of hospitalized patients with chronic wound was to provide a buffering effect on their mental stress, the estimated value was 2.121, 95% CI (1.46, 3.25).

(a) The HRQOL of hospitalized patients with chronic wound was poor and sleep status, diagnosis, pain, retirement status and whether the wound has odor were the main demographic and disease characteristic factors which affected their HRQOL. (2) Perceived social support improved the HRQOL of hospitalized patients with chronic wound by buffering their mental stress.