The home care experience as perceived by the caregivers of Chinese dialysis patients

The caring issues perceived as crucial by caregivers in home-based dialysis, have never been systematically studied in any depth in Hong Kong. This research aimed to explore various characteristics of the home care experience perceived by caregivers. Thirty caregivers of home dialysis patients were interviewed using a phenomenological approach. Selection was by convenience. The interviews were conducted in the outpatient clinic following receipt of the informant's consent. The instrument consisted of two aspects designed to elicit the phenomena. The caregivers' responses seemed to indicate that caregiving is likely to have financial, emotional, social and health-related implications.     

The psychometric properties of the Chinese Dialysis Quality of Life Scale for Hong Kong dialysis patients

AIMS: This paper describes the process by which the Chinese Dialysis Quality of Life Scale was developed, and the preliminary testing and psychometric evaluation of the scale in a sample of dialysis patients. BACKGROUND: Quality of life as a specific outcome variable has not been systematically and satisfactorily studied in Chinese dialysis patients in Hong Kong. A single global quality of life measure that is both reliable and valid for dialysis patients has yet to be developed. Without measurement tools, it is impossible to judge progress towards this goal. DESIGN: A list of key issues was first derived from an in-depth literature review, then verified by semi-structured interview on seven patients. The initial list of 87 items was then further refined through two rounds of content analysis. The remaining 50 items were finalized by pilot test on seven patients. Of the refined 40 items, face validity was assessed by a team including one professor and ten patients. The 40-item scale was further evaluated by stability, internal consistency and criterion validity with a convenience sample of 164 patients. The scale demonstrated high internal consistency and good test-retest reliability and criterion validity when used. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric evaluations suggest that the instrument is worthy of further development. Continued validation of this scale on larger sample and Chinese population living outside Hong Kong has the potential to provide nurses with a valid assessment and treatment guide, and researchers with a valid measurement tool.     

血液透析病人生存质量质性研究

[目的]探讨血液透析病人的生存质量及其影响因素.[方法]采用质性研究中现象学研究法,对15例血液透析病人进行半结构式深入访谈,并运用Colaizzi分析法对资料进行分析.[结果]5个层面8个主题被提炼,生理层面:生理不适的困扰;精神、心理层面:焦虑(等待肾源及对未来的不确定感),抑郁、失落、沮丧(各种消极的情绪影响生存质量);经济层面:沉重的经济负担降低了生存质量;社会层面:无法履行社会职能,家庭支持是面对困难的力量;病人需求层面:完善的社会支持系统及医疗保健制度,相关健康教育知识的普及.[结论]开展以病人为中心的护患交流,提供个性化的护理措施,促进病人生理、心理、社会功能方面的适应,提高病人的生存质量.     

Multidimensional construct of health-related quality of life for Chinese dialysis patients

Quality of life is a term frequently used but seldom well defined in nursing research. The lack of a consistent definition and measures to assess the various quality of life dimensions makes it difficult to compare research findings across multiple studies. The aim of this article was to identify the factors that constitute quality of life as perceived by Chinese dialysis patients in Hong Kong.