Patients quality of life with chronic renal insufficiency – SF-36

Abstract

To verify the quality of life(QoL) of patients suffering from chronic renal failure, and to analyze the correlations among the dimensions of SF-36. This study was carried out in the dialysis sector of the Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Maringá – PR. The data were collected between August and September 2004. The sample was composed of 35 hemodialysis patients. For the QoL evaluation, the SF-36 survey was used. The statistical analysis involved an ANOVA for intra-group comparisons, along with the Bonferroni post hoc test for inter-study dimensions. For the evaluation of the correlations between the instrument’s dimensions, Pearson’s correlation was applied. The mental health, pain and general health dimensions obtained the best average scores. However, the physical and emotional aspects were the dimensions considered most compromised. The correlations among the SF-36 dimensions showed significant associations between: functional capacity and the physical aspect; physical aspect and vitality; physical and emotional aspects; pain and mental health; vitality and the social aspect; vitality and mental health; social and emotional aspects; p<0.05 for physical and emotional aspects; and p<0.01 for vitality and mental health. The objective evaluation of the QoL dimensions of the patient with chronic renal failure can be a catalyst for subsidizing multidisciplinary programs focused on the specific characteristics of each group.