The HRQoL of Chinese patients undergoing haemodialysis

Background. With the transition from infectious disease and acute illness to chronic disease and degenerative illness as leading causes of death, health-related quality of life has become an important aspect in assessing the burden of chronic disease. The quality of life of haemodialysis patients has been studied extensively; however, very limited research using exploratory descriptive design has been carried out in this area in China. Objective. The aim of this study was to explore health-related quality of life of end-stage renal disease patients undergoing haemodialysis in China. Design. This study used the qualitative research design approach. Method. A semi-structured, in-depth interview was conducted with 16 haemodialysis patients in two hospitals using Colaizzi's phenomenological method to transcribe and analyse the data. Results. The results of this study showed that dialysis patients show improvement in physical competence, but they also experienced emotional instability and psychological distress, financial burdens, inadequate disease knowledge and less social support which influenced their quality of life. Conclusion. To optimise the patients undergoing dialysis health-related quality of life, support of psycho-social-economical aspects should be enhanced. Relevance to clinical practice. Health care providers should give haemodialysis patients thorough health education, individualised psychological and emotional intervention and adequate social support to optimise health-related quality of life.