Quality of life assessment in chronic haemodialysis patients in Colombia

Abstract

Introduction: Although haemodialysis therapy is beneficial for the replacement of renal function, it has an impact on all dimensions of the patient's quality of life. Objective: To assess the quality of life of haemodialysis patients in a health institution in Cartagena, Colombia, during 2019. Method: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Population: Adults with chronic renal failure on haemodialysis in an institution in Cartagena. A total of 164 patients were included. A sociodemographic survey and the Spanish version of the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life (KDQoL- SF) were applied. Results: Socio-demographic aspects: Women (56.1%), aged 50-59 years (38.4%), in union (42.7%), from nuclear families (72.6%), urban (70.7%), high school graduates (45.1%), stratum 2 (47.6%), with 2 children (29.3%), in treatment <1 year (25%) and 4-10 years (25.6%). There was a statistical association between belonging to socio-economic stratum  one, having been in treatment for more than one year, being in fair to poor health (p=0.019), having between severe (24.4%) and mild (36.6%) limitation, climbing stairs with difficulty (23.8%), and disease-caused pain generating considerable difficulty at work (36.6%). Conclusions: The findings show that the institution's health care staff is an active factor in maintaining the quality of life of dialysis patients as the years on treatment increase.