[Correlation between instruments for measuring health-related quality of life and functional independence in elderly with heart failure].

The main purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between health-related quality of life and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) in elderly patients with heart failure. 146 elderly outpatients completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (LHFQ) and the FIM. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to identify correlations between health-related quality of life and FIM, and between them and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class. Statistically significant moderate correlations were found between physical and emotional LHFQ and total FIM and motor subscale. The results show that quality of life and functional independence are correlated concepts influenced by NYHA class and suggest that measures to promote functional independence (especially in the physical domain) can improve health-related quality of life in elderly patients with heart failure. Further research should include a larger sample and older patients with greater disease severity in order to verify the reproducibility of these findings.