Abstract
Objectives: To consider that the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an inherent part of the patient outcomes in the care and treatment after kidney transplantation (KT). This study aimed to measure HRQOL among a representative sample size of patients after KT by using both the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36 (KDQOL-36).Methods and Results: Data of this cross-sectional design were collected in the Organ Transplant Center, Viet Duc University Hospital (Hanoi, Vietnam) from January 2020 to March 2020 and included the patients aged 18 years or over after KT at 6 months, 1 year, and 3 years postoperatively. HRQOL was evaluated through face-to-face interviews by means of the SF-36 and KDQOL-36 measurement tools. According to the SF-36, the overall mean score of HRQOL was 69.13 ± 15.55 and the two domains were the highest scores of “Mental Health” (81.23 ± 14.28) and “General Health” (80.06 ± 14.81). When measuring with the KDQOL-36, the overall mean score was 68.67 ± 13.75 and was the highest in the domain “Symptoms and Problems of Kidney Disease” (87.06 ± 16.00). Both instruments had good reliability for those after KT. The reliability of the SF-36 was high with Cronbach's coefficients α = 0.90. There were positive relationships between the dimensions measured by the KDQOL-36 and SF-36 (correlation coefficient: 0.03–0.69). Similarly, the domains of the SF-36 also had positive correlations with the KDQOL-36 (correlation coefficient: 0.18–0.51). The correlation coefficient between overall HRQOL scores of the SF-36 and KDQOL-36 was 0.62, indicating a strong correlation between the SF-36 and KDQOL-36.Conclusions: There were slight fluctuations in the HRQOL score in domains in the 3-year follow-up stages, suggesting not having clear change. The mean SF-36 score was consistent with the mean KDQOL-36 score. High reliability and strong correlation were found between two instruments of the SF-36 and KDQOL-36. This study provides the reliability and constructs validity in the combination of two sets of the SF-36 and KDQOL-36 scales for the assessment of HRQOL among post-KT patients, thereby assisting physicians and health professionals in the clinical decision-making, assessment of therapeutic efficacy, and understanding of treatment risk.
Highlights
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), a well-established aspect of health and general wellbeing, can be measured with a variety of instruments
HRQOL was assessed in studying patients according to the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36 (KDQOL-36)
The average scores generally obtained from the Social Functioning (SF)-36 and KDQOL-36 were quite similar (69.13 ± 15.55 compared to 68.67 ± 13.75)
Summary
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL), a well-established aspect of health and general wellbeing, can be measured with a variety of instruments. Disease-specific HRQOL measures are designed to well reflect the HRQOL aspects of a particular disease [1]. Physicians have often paid attention to HRQOL to measure the disease effects in their patients to better understand the impact level of an illness on the day-today life of a person. Chronic kidney disease (CKD), an important public health issue with the global increase, describes the gradual loss of kidney function in patients [2]. CKD, in general, and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), in particular, often lead to both physical and emotional symptoms that adversely impact the health and daily routine of patients [3]. As the clinical practices have varied widely across the world with the increasing demands in many aspects, there needs to be an increased interest in the assessment of mental health aspects in patients with ESKD after kidney transplantation (KT)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
