Medico-social problems in Bruneian dialysis patients

Abstract

◆ Objective: Our objective in the present study was to identify the medico-social problems in dialysis patients at the Department of Renal Medicine, RIPAS Hospital, Brunei Darussalam. ◆ Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the social problems encountered by the patients in our dialysis program during the period January 2001 to June 2002. During that period, 285 patients were on hemodialysis (HD), and 65 patients were on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). We made 302 referrals to the medical social unit. ◆ Results: Of the 302 cases referred to the medical social unit, 35 (11.59%) were referred for welfare assistance from government or service clubs. Home assessments were conducted on 85 occasions (28.15%) during the study period. The HD section referred 18 (5.96%) patients to the medical social unit for assistance with employment- or work-related problems. The medical social unit also helped patients to settle medical bills (2 cases), acquire prosthetic equipment (9 cases), and obtain approval for housekeeping services applications (6 cases). Our medical social workers (MSWs) solved all 18 employment-related problems referred in HD cases. No cases were referred to the MSWs from the CAPD section for similar problems. It seems that employment-related problems are fewer in CAPD patients than in HD patients. However, long-term studies are required to confirm our findings. ◆ Conclusion: The MSWs helped to improve the quality of life in patients undergoing dialysis in Brunei.