Quality of Life among Caregivers of Patients with Chronic Renal Failure Undergoing Hemodialysis in Duhok City

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Caregivers of hemodialysis (HD) patients play a critical role in their care which can influence their quality of life. As a result, the present study aimed to examine the quality of life among hemodialysis caregivers and their relationship with some characteristics of caregivers and patients. SUBJECT AND METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional survey was directed to assess the quality of life among family caregivers of hemodialysis patients. consecutive sampling was done and included (139) caregivers who had inclusion criteria. The period of data collection was from the 2nd of November 2021 to the 10th of February 2022. The Short Form 36 questionnaire was used to collect data. a p-value of < 0.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: Of 139 caregivers, the mean quality of life, physical and mental component scores were 59.49 ± 22.13, 63.2 ± 25.5, and 52.7 ±27.8 respectively. The scores of the physical functioning domain had the highest score (75.4 ± 24.74), while the Energy/Fatigue domain obtained the lowest score (46.19±25.86). There was a significant negative correlation between age and the quality of life (r=-0.3858, P<0.0001). Additionally, the quality of life was higher among younger, male, single, educated, and employed caregivers at a p-value (<0.0001, =0.0003, <0.0001, =0.0022, and =0.0091) respectively. CONCLUSION: Caregivers of hemodialysis patients had a satisfactory total quality of life score. Energy/Fatigue and mental health, on the other hand, were the most affected domains. These findings emphasize the necessity of addressing the mental health of caregivers, as well as providing them with financial and psychological support