Improving health-related quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure: effects of relaxation therapy.
AIM
This paper is a report of a study conducted to examine the effects of a relaxation training programme on the health-related quality of life of Chinese patients with chronic heart failure.


BACKGROUND
Despite the substantial evidence indicating the beneficial effects of relaxation therapy on the health-related quality of life of various cardiac populations, the value of this intervention in patients with chronic heart failure remains uncertain. Even less is known about its therapeutic effects in Chinese culture.


METHOD
A total of 121 Chinese patients with chronic heart failure and over 60 years of age were recruited in 2002-2003 and randomly allocated to a relaxation training programme (n = 59) or an attention-control intervention (n = 62). The training included two relaxation training sessions, one skill revision workshop, twice daily relaxation self-practice and biweekly telephone follow-up. The World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire was completed at hospital discharge and at the 8th and 14th weeks after discharge.


RESULTS
Repeated measures analysis of covariance indicated that those who attended the relaxation training programme reported statistically significantly greater improvement in psychological (P = 0.007, eta(2) = 0.043) and social (P = 0.016, eta(2) = 0.035) health-related quality of life than those who received the attention-control intervention over the evaluative period. Comparing outcomes at timepoints showed that the statistically significant group differences in the improvement of psychological and social health-related quality of life occurred mainly during the first evaluative endpoints.


CONCLUSION
Relaxation techniques are beneficial to the emotional and social health-related quality of life of Chinese patients with chronic heart failure. Combining this intervention with other treatment modalities may produce a more substantial improvement in their health-related quality of life.