Maintenance Hemodialysis among Patients Visiting Nephrology Unit in a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Maintenance hemodialysis is the treatment of renal failure and chronic kidney disease. Though the government of Nepal is providing free hemodialysis there is no chronic kidney disease registry or data to look into the clinical profile of patients. The aim of this study is to find out the prevalence of maintenance hemodialysis among patients visiting the nephrology unit in a tertiary care centre. METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out from 1 October 2021 to 15 October 2022. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: UCMS/IRC/132/22). All patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis were enrolled in the study. Convenience sampling was done. Point estimate and 95% Confidence Interval were calculated. RESULTS: Among 2190 patients visiting the nephrology unit, maintenance hemodialysis was prevalent in 100 (4.57%) (3.70-5.44, 95% Confidence Interval). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of maintenance hemodialysis was found to be similar to the other studies done in similar settings.