Quality of life in end stage renal disease patients

Abstract

AIM:To understand factors associated with quality of life (QOL), examine types of QOL instruments, and determine need for further improvements in QOL assessment. METHODS:The method used databases (Pubmed, Google scholar) and a bibliographic search using key words QOL, end stage renal disease, Hemodialysis, Peritoneal dialysis, instruments to measure QOL, patients and qualitative/quantitative analysis published during 1990 to June 2014. Each article was assessed for sample size, demographics of participants, study design and type of QOL instruments used. We used WHO definition of QOL. RESULTS:For this review, 109 articles were screened, out of which 65 articles were selected. Out of 65 articles, there were 19 reports/reviews and 12 questionnaire manuals. Of the 34 studies, 82% were quantitative while only 18% were qualitative. QOL instruments measured several phenomenon such as physical/psychological health, effects and burdens of kidney disease, social support etc. those are associated with QOL. Few studies looked at spiritual beliefs, cultural beliefs, personal concerns, as per the WHO definition. Telemedicine and Palliative care have now been successfully used however QOL instruments seldom addressed those in the articles reviewed. Also noticed was that longitudinal studies were rarely conducted. Existing QOL instruments only partially measure QOL. This may limit validity of predictive power of QOL. CONCLUSION:Culture and disease specific QOL instruments that assess patients' objective and subjective experiences covering most aspects of QOL are urgently needed.

Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Regular Hemodialysis

“…As such, assessment of HRQOL generally covers physical, social, and psychological domains [4]. Several studies proved that HD patients suffer poor HRQOL, despite continuing advancements in the treatment [3,4,[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Their HRQL is still much lower than general population [12,15].…”

“…Although advances in HD treatment have contributed to improved patients' survival, they're still subjected to multiple threats and stressors that may worsen their HRQOL [4]. Lower HRQOL scores were strongly associated with higher morbidity and mortality [3]. The aim of the present study was to assess self-perception of patients with ESRD undergoing regular hemodialysis of HR-QOL, to study their epidemiological features, assess HR-QOL scores and explore its clinical correlates.…”

“…It's been proven that the patient's perception is more important than the clinical assessment in determining HRQOL. Culture and values plays a vital role in shaping perception of HRQOL [3]. Although advances in HD treatment have contributed to improved patients' survival, they're still subjected to multiple threats and stressors that may worsen their HRQOL [4].…”

Quality of life of elderly people with chronic kidney disease in conservative treatment

“…The treatment for CKD patients aim should not be only longevity, but also the strengthening of QOL, since plain survival it is not sufficient, it is necessary to live well (9)(10) .…”

Determinants and prevalence of depression in patients with chronic renal disease, and their caregivers

“…However, the development of depression adversely influences the general health of a patient and also the patient-doctor cooperation in treatment; it increases the duration and frequency of hospitalization and may cause cessation of kidney replacement therapy; it causes an increase in mortality in dialyzed patients and also increases the risk of committing suicide. [15][16][17][18][19] Kidney disease itself is associated with a high frequency of both physical and psychological complications, with depression being at the top of the list with a frequency of 61.1%. It has been documented that depression worsens the perceptions of patients for their well-being, which ultimately affects their compliance with treatment regimens.…”