# A Study of the Quality of Life in Patients on Hemodialysis Therapy

## TL;DR

This study examines the quality of life in patients undergoing hemodialysis, finding significant physical and psychological challenges.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into how dialysis duration and income affect different aspects of quality of life in hemodialysis patients.

## Key findings

- Physical and psychological domains of quality of life were most impaired in hemodialysis patients.
- Dialysis duration significantly improved social domain quality of life.
- Income was significantly linked to physical health outcomes.

## Abstract

Aim: To study and compare demographic data, medical parameters, and quality of life (QoL) using the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) tool among hemodialysis (HD) patients at Father Muller Medical College Hospital (FMMCH), Mangalore.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted over a period of six months among 100 adult patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) undergoing maintenance HD at FMMCH. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire comprising demographic information, clinical parameters, and the WHOQOL-BREF instrument to assess four domains of QoL: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Statistical analyses were carried out using appropriate tests, including Student’s T-test and one-way ANOVA, with a p-value of <0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results: Among 100 HD patients, the mean physical domain score was 54.4 ± 9.7, and the psychological domain score was 56.6 ± 10.8, indicating that these areas were most impaired. In contrast, social and environmental domains were relatively preserved (55.1 ± 9.1 and 60.8 ± 11.2, respectively). QoL in the social domain improved significantly with longer dialysis duration (p = 0.01), and physical domain scores varied significantly with income (p = 0.02). Multiple regression confirmed dialysis duration as a significant independent predictor of overall QoL (β = 2.81, p = 0.017).

Conclusions: The research found that maintenance HD patients had experienced a suboptimal QoL with considerable physical and psychological deficits. Income was highly linked to physical health, whereas dialysis duration was favorably related to social well-being.