Quality of life of caregivers with children having congenital heart disease awaiting cardiac surgery at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Introduction: Congenital heart disease (CHD) has an accepted estimated prevalence of around 8-12/1000 live births

Objectives: To determine the level of quality of life (QOL) of primary caregivers whose children with CHD are attending cardiology clinics in Lady Ridgeway Hospital (LRH), Colombo, awaiting cardiac surgery.

Method: This study was carried out as an institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study, of 422 caregivers, through consecutive convenient sampling method over a two month period at the cardiology unit of Lady Ridgeway Hospital. An interviewer administered questionnaire was utilized to obtain data and the QOL was assessed by WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire which was validated in Sri Lanka and consists of 26 questions. WHOQOL-BREF is an abbreviated generic QOL scale developed through the World Health Organization. Question one is   the individual’s overall perception of QOL, and question two is individual’s overall perception of health. Rest of the 24 questions are in four domains, physical health, psychological health, social relationship and environmental relationship. Data extraction sheet was used to get clinic records. Univariate analysis and regression were done to detect association.

Conclusions: Caregivers of children with CHD attending cardiology clinics in LRH, Colombo and awaiting cardiac surgery are experiencing a low QOL. The QOL was associated with age of the caregiver, educational level, marital status, number of children, income, type of heart disease, and postponement of surgery. QOL had no significant association with gender, religion, employment status or presence of co-morbidities.