Quality of life in chronic haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients in Turkey and related factors

Turkey is the fifth country in Europe with regard to the number of patients receiving haemodialysis (HD). However, only a limited number of studies have comparatively investigated the factors that affect quality of life in haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in Turkey. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that affect quality of life in haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients, as well as providing a comparison of quality of life between these groups. In this cross‐sectional study, Quality of Life Scale and a data form was completed by 300 dialysis patients who received treatment at five hospital‐based dialysis units in Istanbul, Turkey. The data were evaluated using arithmetic mean values, standard deviations, minimums, maximums, percentages, independent groups t‐tests, Spearman correlation analyses and one‐way variance analyses. The quality of life values in peritoneal dialysis patients were found to be higher than those of haemodialysis patients (P < 0.05). It was concluded that the quality of life in chronic dialysis patients was affected by various factors.     

Assessment of quality of life in haemodialysis patients: A comparison of the Nottingham Health Profile and the Short Form 36

This study aimed to compare the psychometric properties of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), which evaluates health‐related quality of life in haemodialysis patients. Data were gathered using the NHP and the SF‐36. Quality of life scores obtained from the NHP and the SF‐36 were compared according to sociodemographic characteristics. It was found that the internal consistency values of the NHP and the SF‐36 were similar. The floor effect of the two NHP subscales and the ceiling effect of all the NHP subscales were higher than those pertaining to the. It was observed that the NHP mean subscale scores were higher than those of the SF‐36, except for one subscale of the SF‐36. There was a significant positive correlation between the similar subscales of the NHP and the SF‐36 and between the total scores. These results seem to support the utility of the NHP and the SF‐36 in evaluating quality of life in haemodialysis patients.