Effects of a Formal Educational Class on the Quality of Life in Patients Diagnosed with Hypothyroidism

Background: Hypothyroidism is a chronic disease that requires self-care skills such as healthy diet, exercise, and a daily medication regimen where timing of food intake is essential. There are many barriers that affect a patient’s self-management of their illness which may result in a reduction in quality of life. Adequate education is essential for patients with hypothyroidism to be able to manage their disease, and to live with the best quality of life possible. Many studies have been conducted to assess the perceived health status of patients with hypothyroidism, but few have examined the effects of a formal educational program on quality of life.Objectives: The purpose of this study is to determine if a formal hypothyroidism educational class will improve the ThyPRO-39us quality of life survey among patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Methods: In this prospective pretest-posttest design study, 40 patients diagnosed with hypothyroidism recruited from a private endocrinology practice in Fairfax, Virginia were asked to complete the ThyPRO-39us quality of life survey, after which they attended a 45-minute formal hypothyroidism educational class hosted my myself, the nurse practitioner. Four weeks after the class, they were mailed the same ThyPRO-39us surveys which they completed. SPSS23 was used for statistical analysis and paired t-tests were performed to determine any significant changes in the ThyPRO-39us composite and subscale scores on quality of life. Results: Conclusions: