Quality of Life, Social Support, Fatigue and Satisfaction from Nursing Care in Dialysis Patients: The Impact of Sociodemographic and Clinical Profile

Abstract

Chronic kidney disease is a global public health problem, which, in combination with an aging population, is expected to increase its impact in the coming years. The aim of this research is to study the effect of the sociodemographic and clinical profile of hemodialysis patients on their quality of life, social support, fatigue and satisfaction from nursing care. A quantitative, primary, non-experimental survey was conducted using the questionnaires “Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support”(a≥ 0.908),FAS (a≥ 0.658), Missoula-VITAS Quality of Life (a≥ 0.622) and nursing care (a = 0.944). The study involved 69 patients with dialysis of a University Hospital, with most having the disease for 0-10 years. The majority of the patients in the research are men, aged 51-80, married with 1-2 children, with an educational level up to that of High school, who live in a city and receive an income of 500-1,500 euros. Data analysis was performed at a significance level of 5%, using the parametric criteria independent samples t-test, ANOVA and the non-parametric Mann Whitney, Kruskal Wallis and Spearman. The necessary ethical issues were observed. Age affected social support (p <0.05) and fatigue (p<0.05). The educational level affected physical fatigue (p= 0.040) and spirituality (p= 0.037). Residence affected spirituality (p = 0.036) and nursing care (p = 0.039). Occupational status influenced social support from friends (p = 0.001). Years in dialysis affected social support (p ≤ 0.027), interpersonal relationships (p = 0.013) and physical fatigue (p = 0.027). It seems that age, educational level, place of residence, professional status and years of dialysis influence the research factors.