QUALITY OF LIFE AND ADHERENCE TO DRUG TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION HEART FAILURE

Abstract

Heart Failure (HF) is a chronic condition characterized by the inability of the heart to pump blood efficiently, resulting in symptoms that significantly affect the quality of life of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and adherence to drug treatment in HF patients in the city of Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is a quantitative, analytical, and cross-sectional study with HF patients treated at a cardiology referral hospital in Montes Claros (MG), from February to October 2024. A questionnaire containing sociodemographic variables, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire was applied to measure quality of life (QoL), and the Morisky-Green test was applied to assess treatment adherence.  The sample consisted of 58 patients, most of whom were male (55.2%), over 35 years of age (96.6%), of brown ethnicity (69%) and with an income of up to one minimum wage (89.7%). The mean score of the patients was 46.4, indicating a moderate QoL, with greater limitations in physical aspects (24.3). Regarding medication adherence, 55.2% showed high adherence, while 41.4% had moderate adherence. HF severely impacts the QoL of patients, especially in physical and emotional aspects. Despite the high adherence to treatment observed in more than half of the patients, socioeconomic factors remain significant barriers. Multidisciplinary strategies are recommended to improve QoL and management of this population.