Does the Spiritual Well-Being of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients Differ from that of Pre-dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Patients?

Darunee Chunlertrith,Nutjaree Johns,Warapond Saisunantararom,Areewan Cheawchanwattana

doi:10.3390/rel6010014

Darunee Chunlertrith, Nutjaree Johns + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6010014

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Journal: Religions	Publication Date: Dec 29, 2014
Citations: 24	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Khon Kaen University

Abstract

Spiritual well-being is viewed as an essential component of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in the modernized biopsychosocial-spiritual model of health. Understanding spiritual well-being should lead to better treatment plans from the patients’ point of view, and improved patient adherence. There are numerous studies of traditional HRQOL, physical, mental, and social well-being; however, studies of spiritual well-being in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients are limited. Thus, this study compared spiritual well-being of chronic hemodialysis patients and pre-dialysis CKD patients. A total of 31 chronic hemodialysis and 63 pre-dialysis CKD patients were asked for consent and then interviewed for spiritual well-being using the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy–Spiritual Well-Being (FACIT-Sp). Analysis of covariance was applied to compare FACIT-Sp scores between pre-dialysis CKD and chronic hemodialysis groups that were adjusted by patient characteristics. The FACIT-Sp scores of pre-dialysis CKD patients were non-significantly greater than those of chronic hemodialysis patients after adjustment for gender, age, and marital status. However, all FACIT-Sp scores of males were significantly lower than those of females [FACIT Meaning −1.59 (p = 0.024), FACIT Peace −2.37 (p = 0.004), FACIT Faith −2.87 (p = 0.001), FACIT Total Score −6.83 (p = 0.001)]. The spiritual well-being did not significantly differ by stages of chronic kidney disease; however, patient gender was associated with spiritual well-being instead. To improve spiritual well-being, researchers should consider patient gender as a significant factor.

Highlights

Since 1948, when the World Health Organization [1] defined ‘health’ as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease infirmity”, quality of life (QOL) and health related QOL (HRQOL), the more specific term, have been important issues in healthcare practice and research [2]
The pre-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) patient group consisted of significantly more females, unmarried status and older patients than the chronic hemodialysis patient group
The adjusted scores were slightly lower for pre-dialysis CKD patients, but slightly higher for chronic hemodialysis patients

Summary

Introduction

Since 1948, when the World Health Organization [1] defined ‘health’ as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease infirmity”, quality of life (QOL) and health related QOL (HRQOL), the more specific term, have been important issues in healthcare practice and research [2]. HRQOL domains, physical, mental, social well-being, have been expanded to cover spiritual well-being as another essential component, and this is the so called the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of health [4] This model should help healthcare professionals concerning patients’ spiritual well-being, especially those who are suffering from serious illnesses. Büssing and Koenig suggested the important of caring for spiritual, existential, and psychological needs of patients who are suffer from long-term chronic illnesses until the end of their lives [7]. They proposed the spiritual needs quantification model that included ‘connection’ (social dimension), ‘peace’ (emotional dimension), ‘meaning/purpose’ (existential dimension), and ‘transcendence’ (religious dimension) [7]

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