Abstract

DURAN MUNOZ, María Isabel et al. Perception of qualify of life reported by adult kidney transplant patients. Enferm Nefrol [online]. 2014, vol.17, n.1, pp.45-50. ISSN 2255-3517.  https://dx.doi.org/10.4321/S2254-28842014000100008.

The personal perception that an individual has of his or her situation in life, within the context of the culture and values in which he or she lives, and in relation to his/ her goals, expectations, values and interests is called quality of life. As in studies with chronic patients, the factors that have the most influence on the perception of quality of life are classified as: patient, medication, disease and quality of interaction between patient and healthcare system. Objectives: To describe the perception that patients have of their quality of life, and to identify factors that affect this perception. Material and methods: Transversal descriptive study of adult patients, with a kidney transplant, who come to our hospital outpatient clinic and are self-sufficient in treatment. All patients received group talks on handling their treatment before being discharged. Data collection using anonymous self-administered questionnaire: Validated scale: SF-12 health survey (version 2), for 4 months. Patients who declined to participate and who needed help in handling the treatment were excluded. A sample size of 222 patients was estimated. Dependent variables: Quality of life. Independent variables: socio-demographic factors, type of immunosuppressive medication, health education received from healthcare professionals. Informed consent was sought and a favourable report was obtained from the Clinical Research Ethical Committee. Results: 209 patients participated. Average age 55.2(±12.15) range 21-80 years, of whom 61.8 % were men. 42% were retired, 38.2% had secondary school qualifications, 71% lived with a partner. The most used immunosuppressive medication was mycophenolate sodium (MYFORTIC®) (65.5%) and 46.7% took two immunosuppressive drugs.The information provided on side effects was considered insufficient by 20.5%. The average perception of quality of life is 44.72±8.11 for the physical component and 47.47±8.8 for the mental component. Discussion: Patients who have received their transplants more recently report a better perception of quality of life. We should take measures to improve education on side effects. We believe that the informative group talks before discharging patients have been effective in improving compliance with treatment and consequently in improving their quality of life.

Keywords : kidney transplant; quality of life; health education; nursing.

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