Work and Health-Related Quality of Life of patients on peritoneal dialysis

Abstract

Objective: To describe and compare Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) who had and who did not have paid work. Methods: A cross-sectional and populational study with 82 patients from the two PD services in Ribeirão Preto (SP), Brazil. Data collection was conducted by interviews between December/2009 and March/2010. The questionnaires for the characterization of patients, the Mini Mental State Examination and the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life-Short Form were used. Analyses were performed using exploratory univariate and bivariate statistics, and the confirmatory bivariate among the independent variables and the dimensions of HRQoL. Results: Patients with paid work presented higher mean scores reflecting better HRQoL for the majority of the dimensions of the instrument used. Conclusion: Work is an important facet of life for these patients and merits the attention of health professionals in the search for strategies that promote and incentivize its maintenance and the reintegration of patients into the labor market.