[Validation of a new questionnaire to evaluate the quality of life in patients after myocardial infarction]. / Validación de un nuevo cuestionario para evaluar la calidad de vida en pacientes postinfarto.

ABSTRACT

Quality of life is an important measurement in chronic diseases and especially in patients after myocardial infarction. We designed and structured a new Questionnaire of Quality of Life for Spanish speaking patients from the existing English questionnaires. The new Questionnaire of Velasco-Del Barrio has a total of 44 items, grouped in 9 subscales health, sleep and rest, emotional behaviour, concerns to the future, mobility, social relations alertness behaviour, communication, and work and leisure time. The questionnaire has been validated taking as a gold standard, the Quality of Life Questionnaire for Myocardial Infarction (QLMI-Q) of Oldridge. The reliability and the reproducibility have also been studied. The validity of the Velasco-Del Barrio Questionnaire was high (r = 0.81), as its reproducibility (0.75) and reliability (0.90). We assume that the usefulness of the new Questionnaire is at least, similar to that of the Oldridge's one, and that it can be recommended in postinfarction patients, even though it can be more advantageous in patients of Spanish speaking cultures.