Development of self-care educational material for patients with heart failure in Japan: a pilot study.

This study assessed the need for information regarding heart failure and self-care, developed self-care educational material, and investigated the feasibility of the material. A total of 22 hospitalized heart failure patients (mean age: 63 years) completed a self-administered questionnaire. We found that more than 90% of patients desired information, particularly about heart failure symptoms, time to notify healthcare providers, prognosis, and exercise/physical activity. After examining the eight existing brochures for Japanese heart failure patients, we developed self-care educational material. This was based on heart failure guidelines and on the results of our inquiry regarding information needs. Finally, a pilot study was conducted in nine hospitalized heart failure patients (mean age: 57 years). None of the patients had difficulty reading or understanding the educational material. The self-administrated questionnaire survey revealed that comprehension of the following improved after the educational sessions with the material: heart failure symptoms, medication, weighing, sodium intake, and fluid intake (P < 0.05). In conclusion, heart failure patients have a great need for information about heart failure. Our pilot study suggests that the material was readable and had a beneficial effect on heart failure comprehension.

Quality of life as an independent predictor for cardiac events and death in patients with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about health-related quality of life (QOL) in Japanese patients with heart failure. The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to QOL using a disease-specific QOL instrument, and to clarify whether QOL independently predicts clinical outcomes among Japanese patients with heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 114 outpatients with heart failure were enrolled (mean age 64.7 ± 15.8 years; 73.7% males). The Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) to assess patient's QOL was used. At baseline, depressive symptoms and chronic kidney disease were significantly associated with worse QOL in multiple regression analysis. During a 2-year follow up, patients with a MLHFQ score ≥ 26, indicating worse QOL, had a higher incidence of the combined endpoint of cardiac death or hospitalization for heart failure, and a higher all-cause mortality than those with a score < 26 (25.3% vs. 7.5%, P = 0.011; 18.5% vs. 6.4%, P = 0.018; respectively). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard models demonstrated that a higher MLHFQ score was significantly associated with increased risks of cardiac events (hazard ratio, 1.02, 95% confidential interval, 1.001-1.05, P = 0.038) and of all-cause death (hazard ratio, 1.04, 95% confidential interval, 1.02-1.07, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Depressive symptoms and chronic kidney disease are major determinants of impaired QOL, and the MLHFQ score is an independent predictor of both cardiac events and death among Japanese patients with heart failure.

Translation and validation study of the Japanese versions of the Coronary Revascularisation Outcome Questionnaire (CROQ-J).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Assessing the health related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with a disease specific scale is essential. The purpose of this study was to develop the Japanese version of the coronary revascularisation outcome questionnaire (CROQ), a disease-specific scale to measure HRQOL before and after coronary revascularisation. METHODS: The English version of the questionnaire was translated into Japanese; some terms were revised, and some items were eliminated to suit the Japanese medical environment. Eight patients filled out the questionnaire, which was then analyzed for face validity. In the field study, subjects were recruited from a university hospital in Tokyo, and questionnaires were given to fill out. In terms of statistical analysis, factor analysis, internal consistency, known-groups validity, concurrent validity with using Short-Form36 (SF-36) and Seattle Angina Questionnaire-Japanese version (SAQ-J), and test-retest reliability were assessed. RESULTS: Informed consents were obtained from 356 patients, and out of 325 patients responded in the field study (91.3%). The factor structure of CROQ-Japanese version (CROQ-J) was similar to that of the original version. Cronbach's α ranged from 0.78 to 0.92. The concurrent validity was mostly supported by the pattern of association between CROQ-J, SAQ-J, and SF-36. Patients without chest symptoms had significantly higher scores of CROQ-J than those with chest symptoms. On the basis of analysis of the test-retest reliability, intra-class correlation coefficients were close to 0.70. CONCLUSIONS: The Japanese translation of CROQ is a valid and reliable scale for assessing the patient's HRQOL in CAD.

Validity and reliability of Seattle angina questionnaire Japanese version in patients with coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, Japanese version (SAQ-J) as a disease-specific health outcome scale in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Patients with coronary artery disease were recruited from a university hospital in Tokyo. The patients completed self-administered questionnaires, and medical information was obtained from the subjects' medical records. Face validity, concurrent validity evaluated using Short Form 36 (SF-36), known group differences, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 354 patients gave informed consent, and 331 of them responded (93.5%). The concurrent validity was mostly supported by the pattern of association between SAQ-J and SF-36. The patients without chest symptoms showed significantly higher SAQ-J scores than did the patients with chest symptoms in 4 domains. Cronbach's alpha ranged from .51 to .96, meaning that internal consistency was confirmed to a certain extent. The intraclass correlation coefficient of most domains was higher than the recommended value of 0.70. The weighted kappa ranged from .24 to .57, and it was greater than .4 for 14 of the 19 items. CONCLUSIONS: The SAQ-J could be a valid and reliable disease-specific scale in some part for measuring health outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease, and requires cautious use.