Objective: Patient quality of life (QoL) is a key factor when improving the healthcare system. Older patients with chronic illnesses in the Medicine outpatient clinic might face a poorer QoL in Thailand but the data are limited. The authors aimed to explore the level of quality of QoL and associated factors among older patients in Thailand.
Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Medicine outpatient clinic of a university hospital between May 2019 and May 2020. The Thai version of the WHO Quality of Life-Old (WHO QoL-Old) was used to evaluate patient QoL. The authors collected baseline characteristics including (a) cognitive status assessed using the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS-Thai), and (b) depression assessed using the Thai Geriatric Depression Scales-15 (TGDS-15). The associated factors of QoL were explored.
Results: Two hundred and fifty participants were enrolled. The median age was 69 (IQR 64,75) and 46.4% were male. Majority of participants (74.8%) had a high QoL and 25.2% had a moderate QoL. The factors associated with a high QoL were age [OR 1.26 (1.06 to 1.53)], monthly income >30,000 bahts [OR 1,093 (6.7 to 178,384)], increased RUDAS score [OR 2.55 (1.78 to 3.65)], and increased TGDS-15 score [OR 0.29 (0.16 to 0.52)].
Conclusion: The QoL among older patients with chronic illnesses was high. Factors associated with a QoL were age, monthly income, cognitive function, and depression, so strategies focusing on these modifiable factors might improve QoL among older patients.

Keywords: Quality of life; Elderly; Older adults; End of life care; Quality of care