Associação entre características sociodemográficas e qualidade de vida de pacientes renais crônicos em hemodiálise

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease causes several changes in a person's life that affect quality of life, whose analysis contributes to the development of interventions in search of improvement. The aim of this study was to associate the domains of quality of life with the sociodemographic characteristics of chronic renal patients. Materials and Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted with 105 participants. Associations were made between sociodemographic variables and the instrument Kidney Disease and Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF™ 1.3), with application of statistical tests. Results: Of the participants, 57.1% were men, 69.5% were up to 59 years of age, and 88.6% did not work. Higher quality of life averages were found for males. Adults had higher quality of life in physical functioning (62.9), compared to the elderly (59.0). Participants who worked also had significantly higher (p <0.05) means in six domains of the instrument. Discussion: Similar characteristics were also reported by other studies conducted in several locations in Brazil and in countries, like Chile and Saudi Arabia. Gainful employment was highlighted as a factor that positively influences on the quality of life. Conclusions: The use of instruments capable of measuring quality of life is quite useful, with the KDQOL-SF™ 1.3 being a low-cost and easily accessed tool that allows the nursing staff to know the quality of life deficits, thus, facilitating their intervention in search of improvements for these patients.