Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes Among Patients on Maintenance Dialysis

Abstract

More patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) are becoming increasingly dependent on lifelong dialysis as their only means of renal replacement therapy. However, despite the improvements in dialysis techniques/procedures and care, there are still high mortality rates, which are significantly predicted by a lowered quality of life (QoL). This chapter, therefore, addresses QoL issues in ESKD. We first explore the various issues surrounding QoL in dialysis research. We then briefly review the empirical findings and limitations in this area. We end by proposing applications of QoL research in clinical settings, and examine empirical research that might potentially assist patients with decision-making for different treatment modalities.

Keywords: Quality of life, end-stage kidney disease, dialysis, haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, treatment modalities, clinical applications.

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