#5556 QUALITY OF LIFE IN FAMILY CAREGIVERS OF END STAGE KIDNEY DISEASE PATIENTS: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Family caregivers of patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) face the challenge of demanding patients’ care, in addition to their own daily tasks, which affect their well-being and quality of life (QoL). The aim of this prospective study was to assess and describe the QoL of family caregivers of ESKD patients at the beginning of kidney replacement therapy (KRT) and one year later. Method Sixty - two ESKD patients and their caregivers were recruited. Caregivers’ QoL was assessed with the Short Form-36 questionnaire and EuroQol-5Dimension-3Level. QoL of caregivers and patients was measured twice, three months after initiation of KTR (T0) (53 patients started hemodialysis and 9 peritoneal dialysis) and after the first 12 months of KTR(T1), in order to investigate the possible changes of QoL during this crucial period. Results The mean value (Table 1) of caregivers’ physical component summary (PCS) subscale was found to change significantly during study period (T0: M = 54.21, SD = 8.06 vs T1: M = 51.58, SD = 10.46, (t(61) = 2.02, p = .048). Caregivers presented a statistically significant decrease (p <.05) in physical health after one year of KRT. Likewise, the EQ-5D Index and the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) showed a statistically significant decline (p = .046 and p<.001 respectively). Finally, correlation of means of QoL dimensions between ESKD patients and their caregivers did not yield statistical significance in the particular longitudinal study. Conclusion The results provide evidence that the overall caregivers’ QoL scores deteriorated over the one-year period of KTR. Further studies of larger sizes and with a longer duration will probably better define the QoL variations of ESKD patients’ caregivers. Both groups may be benefit from an educational program before patients initiate KTR.