Quality of Life in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients in Al-Qurayat General Hospital

Abstract

Background: hemodialysis process is a life-long intervention, involves multiple contributing factors to be completed; including: scheduling of hemodialysis sessions, patient presence in hemodialysis unit, patient family sharing and cooperation, availability and readiness of hemodialysis instruments and tools, availability, cooperation and readiness of hemodialysis unit staff. Objective: this study aimed to promote the quality of life in patients on chronic hemodialysis patients in Al Qurayat General Hospital in Saudi Arabia. We tried to determine the factors that affect the quality of life. Material and Methods: this was a descriptive, uncenter and non-interventional study. All patients had chronic hemodialysis in Al Qurayat general hospital. A questionnaire contains all questions regarding the objective of this study. Data were taken via interviewing 76 patients; 36 males, and 40 females aged 14 to above 60. All patients were interviewed individually to fill the questionnaire directly. Results: 76 patients on chronic hemodialysis in the Artificial Kidney Unit (AKU) in Al Qurayat Hospital were studies, 36 males and 40 females, their ages ranged between less than 14 to above 60, mean age 49.5 years, for some items correlated with quality of their life affected by chronic hemodialysis through a special questionnaire was designed for this purpose. Conclusion: male and female patients undergoing chronic hemodialysis were almost equally in numbers. A considerable percentage of patients on chronic hemodialysis is lying in the productive adult age group. Patients on chronic hemodialysis spend a considerable mean time per day to undergo hemodialysis sessions, for undergoing a mean 11 sessions per month. All aspects of patients on chronic hemodialysis life are affected negatively in most patients, either mildly or moderate to severe, and to extreme extent occasionally; including personal, family, community/social, and occupational/professional aspects.