The objective of the presented thesis is to explore the impact of rheumatoid arthritis on the patient's life and to compare the subjectively perceived quality of life of such patients with that in healthy population. The set objectives were achieved through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. The quantitative survey took place as part of the team research project GAJU No. 120/2012/S through the use of the standardized WHOQOL-100 questionnaire handed out to 200 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. In addition to further tests, the statistical data analysis included comparison of the quality of life in the aforesaid patient population with the quality of life in the control healthy population, which also participated in the above stated project. The qualitative survey used the technique of semi-structured interviews with 11 patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The research has shown that the patients with rheumatoid arthritis have a worse quality of life in the fields of physical condition and independence than healthy population. On the other hand, a better quality of life was found in the fields of milieu and spirituality. The results also referred to pain and fatigue as the major factors influencing the quality of life of such patients and drew attention to their interconnection with other dimensions. The qualitative survey supplemented the quantitative data with a practical detailed description of individual problems. Among other things, it detected factors that help the patients to overcome obstacles associated with the disease. For example, the research revealed the family influence or the compensation of restraints by adaptations of the environment or changes of the daily routine. Interesting conclusions have been derived from the information about the effect of adaptation to the disease; it was found out that in the course of their life with the disease, patients get used to certain difficulties, so they perceive them as less severe than in the beginnings of the disease. The thesis provides a complex view of the matters of the quality of life of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and refers to this disease not only as to a disease of the body but also to a disease of the human soul. Among other things, it provides evidence that the concept of the quality of life is applicable in the field of nursing. With regard to the above stated facts, the thesis is useful for the extension of the theoretical knowledge in the field of nursing as well as for the clinical practice.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:nusl.cz/oai:invenio.nusl.cz:364809 |
| Date | January 2017 |
| Creators | KAAS, Jiří |
| Source Sets | Czech ETDs |
| Language | Czech |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
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