Implementation of a System to Measure the Quality of Life of Patients and Caregivers: a First Experiment in Cardiology at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital

Context: The post-clinical intervention quality of life has become a central clinical criterion for assessing the overall effect of management and is an essential indicator in medico-economic analyses. It allows, among other things, to include the QALYS (Quality-Adjusted Life Years), which combine life expectancy and quality of life in a single synthetic measure, facilitating comparisons between different therapeutic strategies. Health-related quality of life is often measured through the use of a validated questionnaire, completed by patients, which translates their perceived state of health into utility scores. In France, the EQ-5D questionnaire, which covers five dimensions of quality of life (mobility, autonomy, daily activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression), is the main tool used for this measure. The answers are converted into a value of utility using a quotation system (or 'value set') specific to the French population, scientifically validated.

Despite the relevance of this information for improving patient well-being and for medico-economic studies, the collection of quality of life data is still too often absent from the healthcare pathway. To our knowledge, no clinical department of the CHU has a systematic, integrated and automated system for interviewing patients before and after an intervention, in order to document the evolution of their quality of life over time.

At the same time, the quality of life of medical staff is a growing issue, both for the quality of care and for the overall performance of health facilities. The professional well-being of caregivers, their mental load, their level of exhaustion or even their work/personal life balance directly influence their availability, their involvement and the quality of the caregiver-patient relationship.

Inclusion criteria

• For patients:
• Patients treated in cardiology units A, B1 and B2 who have undergone the following procedures: pacemaker insertion (PM), defibrillator insertion (DEF), coronary angiography (FAG) or percutaneous aortic valve implantation (TAVI).
• Patient aged 18 or over. Patients able to complete the questionnaire on their own.

For caregivers:

• Working in the Cardiological Intensive Care Unit (USIC), the CB1 unit or the Cardio A unit at the Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital

Exclusion criteria

For patients:

• Patients who do not master or cannot read French.
• Patients transferred to Follow-up and Rehabilitation Care (SSR)
• Patient under judicial protection (guardianship, curatorship) or deprived of liberty.

For caregivers:

• Not proficient or unable to read French.
• The administrative agents, the stretcher-bearers, the ASH.