title: Qualitative interviews vs standardized self-report questionnaires in assessing quality of life in heart transplant recipients.
abstract: Quality of life (QoL) studies in heart transplant recipients (HTRs) using validated, quantitative, self-report questionnaires have reported poor QoL in approximately 20% of patients. This consecutive mixed methods study compared self-report questionnaires, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey (MOS SF-36) and the Atkinson Life Satisfaction Scale, with phenomenologically informed audiovisual (AV) qualitative interview data in 27 medically stable HTRs (70% male; age 53 ± 13.77 years; time since transplant 4.06 ± 2.42 years). Self-report questionnaire data reported poor QoL and more distress compared with previous studies and normative population samples; in contrast, 52% of HTRs displayed pervasive distress according to visual methodology. Using qualitative methods to assess QoL yields information that would otherwise remain unobserved by the exclusive use of quantitative QOL questionnaires.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Abbey
authors.forename: Enza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: Oliver E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Mauthner
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McKeever
authors.forename: Margrit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shildrick
authors.forename: Jennifer M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Poole
authors.forename: Mena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gewarges
authors.forename: Heather J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014180:Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D014743:Videotape Recording