Assessment of quality of life one year after in COVID-19 cases using the SF-36

Abstract

One of the features of COVID-19 infection is a long recovery process and development of the long-term health effects of COVID-19. Therefore, the interest of scholars in ensuring patients' quality of life after treatment of COVID-19 is increasing and puts a long-term health assessment on the agenda. However, there have been limited studies examining subjective evaluation of physical and mental health of patients who have undergone COVID-19 in Kazakhstan.  The study aims  to examine the subjective health assessment of patients who suffered from COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 in Nur-Sultan city using the SF-36 tool. These patients were included and observed in the research with confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases as well as their close contacts.  Material and methods:  The study employed questionnaires of respondents through direct interviews, including common questions SF-36. The scoring was done in Microsoft Excel. Statistical analysis of data was performed using the SPSS program, version 23.  Results:  Questionnaires were administered among 64 out of 172 patients, 52 (81%) were women and 12 (19%) were men. The majority of respondents were over 40 (41%) and 31 (31%) years old. Nearly half of participants (46%) responded that their health condition was about the same as a year ago, 27% rated their health somewhat worse than a year ago, and 2%, that is, 1 participant, rated their condition as much worse than before COVID-19. Men considered themselves significantly healthier than women (p>0.05).  Conclusion:  There is a need for additional research on "Long COVID-19" using more specific HRQoL instruments.