Abstract:
Evidence on a patient-centered assessment of outcome among patients with stroke is limited in
Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of health-related quality of life (HRQOL)
and associated factors in Ethiopia's tertiary level hospitals.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted at three tertiary level hospitals (Felege Hiwot comprehensive specialized hospital, University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, and
Dessie referral hospital) from April 1 to May 31, 2019. A total of 180 patients with stroke were
included, and a consecutive sampling method was employed to recruit the participants. RAND 36-
Item Health Survey was used to measure the HRQOL. A generalized linear model with a gamma
distribution and log-link function was used to investigate potential predictors, and variables with a
P value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results
Out of the participants, 50.56% were female. The average age and average duration of illness were
59.04 (12.71) and 1.5 (1.46) years, correspondingly. The physical health domain score was higher
than the mental health domain score. Education (P = 0.041), social support (P = 0.050), disability
(P <0.001), co-morbidity (P = 0.011), depression (P = 0.015) and income (<1000 ETB P = 0.002;
1000-4000 ETB P = 0.009) were associated with physical health domain. Whereas, ischemic stroke(P = 0.014), education (P = 0.020), disability (P <0.001), and depression (P <0.001) were associated with the mental health domain.
Conclusion
The HRQOL of the patients was low. Social support and lower disability status wereas associated with higher HRQOL, whereas disability and depression were associated with higher HRQOL.
37 Therefore, attention should be given to strengthening social support; health professionals should
38 focus on reducing disability/physical dependency and depression, as these are vital factors for
39 improving HRQOL
