Health systems must take into account the importance of quality of life. The main objective of preventive health measures is to ensure that people live longer and with better quality. To do this, they promote programs to improve health and reduce disease.
Health systems give advice on preventive measures so that we can live longer free of disease. The World Health Organization defines health as a state of physical, mental and social well-being. However, there is no clear definition of what constitutes optimal quality of life.
Quality of life
Medical studies generally focus on understanding illness and mortality. But quality of life is also important, as it does not only refer to the patient’s feelings, but also influences their prognosis.
If we ask people how long and how they want to live, we get many answers. From “whatever God wants” to “as long as I am well.” But what is considered to be well? It is clear that we cannot define this concept in a generalized way, as it varies with each person. It is therefore necessary to consider each person’s opinion, what each person considers “being well.”
The health status reported by the patient, in terms of their symptoms and functional status, is the basic question. This is what the measurement of quality of life should focus on.
Different studies have shown that the feeling of quality of life reported by people is associated with illness and mortality. That is, people who feel worse have more complications, more hospital admissions and higher mortality. It is therefore necessary to establish a system of evaluation of the state of health, in which the impression of the patient himself is important when assessing his quality of life.
Evaluation of quality of life
If a person feels bad, he will go to medical care more and have more complications, with the consequent health expenditure. More research is needed in this regard. The health status of a person includes his symptoms, his functional status and his quality of life related to health.
First, the symptoms that the person has due to his illnesses and due to side effects of the treatments must be considered. Second, functional status refers to your physical, emotional, and social situation. Lastly, health-related quality of life refers to the discrepancy between your actual and desired status.
There are various diagnostic methods to assess a patient’s symptoms and functional status. However, given the above, an essential component to assessing your health status is through your own perception. And this varies from person to person.
Two patients with similar results in diagnostic tests have different health statuses if we assess the perception each has of their situation. And this influences the prognosis, which is worse for the person who perceives their health status worse. However, it is usual for the doctor to consider both of them equally.
Health surveys
In consultations, no system is usually used to assess the patient’s own perception of health. It is therefore necessary to develop a standardized method of global assessment of the patient, which includes as a significant factor their own perception of health, in addition to the corresponding diagnostic tests.
Although they are not very well known, different surveys have been developed to evaluate the health status perceived by the patient, and they have been validated in multiple studies. These surveys have shown that the patient’s perception of their health status is related to the prognosis, in terms of quality and quantity of life. However, they are not often used. And what is worse, health systems do not usually promote them, despite the fact that it has been shown that they are useful to assess the patient’s prognosis and, therefore, to guide preventive measures and limit health expenditure.
Therefore, it is necessary to promote the use of these surveys in medical consultations. Subsequently, studies should be developed on the effectiveness of these in achieving better results in the health of patients and in their prognosis, as well as on the economic costs.
Quality of life factors
The health status perceived by the patient is influenced by different factors, such as age, sex, the psychological component and the economic situation. It is common for older people to show a better quality of life after a myocardial infarction and even after heart surgery than younger people. Therefore, therapeutic attitudes should not be limited by the age of the patient; it is necessary to consider the other diseases that they suffer from and their degree of fragility.
Regarding sex, women with heart disease have a worse state of health than men, including the situation after a heart operation. This fact is observed even after adjusting for the higher incidence of depression and lower social support in women.
The psychological situation of the patient, basically the degree of anxiety and depression, worsens their health status and the prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective therapeutic strategies against depression and anxiety, which will allow the patient’s health status and prognosis to improve.
Finally, the socioeconomic situation also influences the health status of the person, so that those with a lower economic level are worse off.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the health status perceived by the patient is a significant factor to take into account when assessing their prognosis. The feeling of poor health is associated with more cardiovascular complications and higher health care costs.
Therefore, it should be considered important to include surveys on the health status of patients in medical consultations. This will allow the application of treatments and preventive measures that, in theory, will lead to improving the population’s prognosis and reducing health care costs.
