An assessment of quality of life, health, and disability in patients undergoing lung resection

Background: Lung resection can cause changes in patients' functional status, potentially affecting their quality of life. For effective care planning after resection, it is necessary to identify areas of quality of life that require special attention.Objectives: This prospective study aimed to compare the quality of life, health, and disability before lung resection and three months afterMethods: Quality of life, health, and disability were assessed using standardized tools: Short Form-12 version 2, and WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.Results: The research group included 44 patients with a mean age of 65.7 years (min. 37, max. 79) referred for lung resection. Men were more represented in the study group (56.8%) than women. Three months after the surgery, statistically significant deterioration in the quality of life was observed in the domains of Physical functioning (p = 0.016) and Bodily pain (p = 0.044). Where disability was concerned, the overall score also deteriorated (p < 0.001). This was driven predominantly by the domains of Mobility (p < 0.001), Life activities (p < 0.001), and Participation (p = 0.037).Conclusion: The deterioration in the quality of life in multiple domains three months after lung resection is highly significant. The deterioration in the domains Physical functioning and Bodily pain in the quality of life field, and of Mobility, Life activities, and Participation in the health and disability score identifies these areas as those that need special attention when planning post-surgery care for these patients.