Objective: To examine changes in health-related quality of life (HQOL) following coronary artery bypass surgery (CABS) in elderly patients and to compare patient ratings with proxy ratings.
Design: Descriptive, nonrandomized, prospective study.
Setting: Patients from a single primary care facility in a major urban centre within a one-year period.
Patients: All eligible patients undergoing CABS at the site within a one-year period were approached for study participation. The study sample consisted of 18 patients 65 years of age or older and 18 proxies at baseline. Fourteen patients and 13 proxies completed follow-up assessments.
Interventions: All patients underwent CABS. HQOL was studied using the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and the Psychological Well-Being Schedule (PGWB).
Main results: Significant improvements were noted in physical, social and psychological functioning (P < 0.05). Proxies' reports provided good indications of patient functioning for these dimensions with significant differences found only for certain preoperative measures including the total SIP score and the Anxiety and Depression subscales of the PGWB (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Patients 65 years of age and older accrue improvements in HQOL following CABS. Such findings may influence the allocation and justification of various medical procedures. Proxy ratings closely reflected the patients' own ratings and may therefore be considered a reliable, alternate source of information.