Assessment of the quality of life of people with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life of people with rheumatoid arthritis. A convenience sample of 22 people with rheumatoid arthritis attending the outpatients Rheumatology Clinic was selected. A descriptive, exploratory, and cross-sectional study was carried out. A pre-formulated questionnaire Short Form-36 Health Survey Questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Descriptive statistics were employed to evaluate the findings of the study. The findings showed that people with rheumatoid arthritis achieved low scores across most of quality of life dimensions except for the social functioning dimension. These findings imply that people with rheumatoid arthritis have poor self-reported health status which affects their quality of life. The deficits in all dimensions of living particularly in the dimension measuring role limitations due to physical problems and bodily pain were the greatest. Moreover, the impact of disability was greater in the younger and female population. This study gives insight into the adverse affects of rheumatoid arthritis on most aspects of functioning and wellbeing. An important message from this study is that special attention needs to be focused on the impact of the condition in providing care for a person with rheumatoid arthritis. In view of all this recommendations for practice and suggestions for further research are given.