Evaluation of quality of life in patients using medical biomedical materials with the SF36 scale

This study aimed to evaluate the physical, mental and social health statuses that determine the quality of life of individuals using the SF-36 scale. The study examined the relationships between the demographic characteristics of the participants and the scores in the SF-36 subdimensions. This descriptive study was conducted in order to examine the effects of biomedical materials on the quality of life of individuals. The universe of the study consisted of 300 volunteer patients between the ages of 18-65 who were receiving treatment at Malatya Turgut Ozal University Training and Research Hospital and Kuluncak Sehit Mehmet Ali Sekerci State Hospital and who did not have any mental illness. Data were collected using the Participant Information Form and the SF-36 Quality of Life Scale via face-to-face survey method. The study covers five different patient groups (Nephrology/Urology, Cardiology/CVC, Orthopedics, Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology). Analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 program; data were evaluated using normality tests, t tests and ANOVA. According to the research results, the sub-dimensions of the patients' quality of life scale, "Energy/Vitality", show significant differences according to variables such as gender and examination frequency (p<0.05). In addition, "Physical Function" and "General Health" levels were found to be significantly higher in individuals who were informed about their treatment. No statistically significant effect was found on the quality of life of other socio-demographic variables (age, education level, duration of biomedical equipment use, etc.). This study provides important clues on the personalization of health services and patient education by revealing various factors affecting the quality of life of individuals using biomedical devices.