Assessment of Fatigue in End Stage Renal Disease Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis: Prevalence and Associated Factors

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a common symptom referred by many patients undergoing hemodialysis. Fatigue is associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and is an important predictor for survival of hemodialysis patients. AIM: To assess the levels of fatigue and demographic factors affecting it among patients with End Stage Renal Disease undergoing hemodialysis. METHODS: This quantitative study was carried out in two Dialysis Units of Hospitals in Athens Region. Between January 2015 and June 2015, 129 hemodialysis patients completed the Greek Version of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). Demographic data of patients was recorded. For the statistical analysis IBM SPSS Statistics version 20 was used. RESULTS: The mean FAS score was 24.99. 49 patients (38.0%) were non fatigued, 61 patients (47.3%) were fatigued, and 19 patients (13.7%) were extremely fatigued. Higher levels of fatigue were reported among hemodialysis patients residing in urban areas, in those with low educational level and unemployed. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study can be used in the assessment of fatigue and early identification of high-risk patients (especially of the unemployed, those who occupy with domestic works, those with low educational level and of urban citizens). Use of this knowledge by hemodialysis nurses may lead to a better understanding of the factors of fatigue in ESRD, which in turn may lead to a more effective treatment.