Factors Affecting Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis

BACKGROUND: We aimed to identify the factors affecting the quality of life in patients with hematologic disorders. METHODS: The sample group of 150 participants was randomly selected from among those who received hemodialysis at three public hospitals in Jeonju and Gwangju provinces and two private hospitals in Seoul, Korea. Among the 150 questionnaires retrieved, 143 were used for analysis, while 7 incomplete questionnaires were excluded. An independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis were performed to verify the effect on quality of life according to general characteristics such as implementing self-care, stress, and depression in patients receiving hemodialysis. RESULTS: General characteristics of participants accounting for differences in the quality of life were residential area (P<0.001), sex (P=0.031), monthly income (P=0.007), and frequency of dialysis (P=0.023). Moreover, quality of life was significantly and positively correlated with implementing self-care (P<0.001) and significantly and negatively correlated with stress (P<0.001) and depression (P<0.001). The variables affecting quality of life were depression (P<0.001), frequency of dialysis (two times a week) (P=0.008), monthly income (USD $2,000) (P=0.007), implementing self-care (P=0.004), and stress (P=0.010). The explanatory power (R(2)) of quality of life was 51.3%. CONCLUSION: This study suggests providing self-nursing education to improve the quality of life of patients receiving hemodialysis. It also seeks ways to improve the patient’s self-efficacy and reduce stress and depression among hemodialysis patients.