Comparison of chronic stress and quality of life between inpatient and home-care muscular dystrophy patients

Abstract

Living at home enables muscular dystrophy (MD) patients to maintain family and social relationships, and to make decisions regarding their lifestyle. Consequently, it is considered that patients living at home have an improved quality of life (QOL) and reduced chronic stress levels when compared to patients confined to a hospital. The study aims to compare the relationships between chronic stress and QOL of hospitalized MD patients vs home-care MD patients using non-invasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV). It is hoped that these findings will support the transition of medical care to the home. Results of the study show that the cortisol awakening response (CAR), an index of chronic stress, was significantly attenuated in the inpatient and home-care patient groups, compared with the healthy control group, and that in SF-36 Health Survey the general health perceptions (GH) concept was significantly higher in the inpatients than in the home-care patients. Therefore, it can be surmised that muscular dystrophy patients using NPPV are in a state of chronic stress, irrespective of the care environment. Also, nursing is still required even for patients who are cared for at home in order to improve their sense of well-being.