The health-related quality of life among patients on maintenance haemodialysis: Evaluation using the "EQ-5D"

Purpose We conducted a cross-sectional investigation of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) patients, and determined important predictive factors of HRQOL in these patients. Methods Psychological factors were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). HRQOL was evaluated with the EQ-5D. Laboratory data (albumin, haemoglobin and C-reactive protein) were collected for medical evaluation. We also collected participants' demographic data, including gender, age, et al. This study was in compliance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Results The mean EQ-5D score was 0.86 +/- 0.12, mean HADS-anxiety score was 5.27 +/- 3.41, mean HADS-depression score was 5.29 +/- 3.58, mean PSQI score was 7.00 +/- 4.23 and mean GSES score was 6.86 +/- 2.03. Participants' mean haemoglobin was 108.18 +/- 16.45 g/L, mean albumin was 41.80 +/- 4.61 g/L and mean C-reactive protein was 8.88 +/- 18.50 mg/L. HRQOL was negatively correlated with HADS-anxiety (r = -0.390, p < 0.001), HADS-depression (r = -0.385, p < 0.001), PSQI (r = -0.285, p < 0.001) and C-reactive protein (r = -0.198, p = 0.034). HRQOL was positively correlated with GSES (r = 0.205, p = 0.007). Age (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), depression (p = 0.002), and postdialysis unemployment (p < 0.001) were independent risk factors for HRQOL. Conclusion Different health interventions should be implemented to improve patients' HRQOL. Relevance to clinical practice The results will provide evidence for establishing healthcare interventions to maintain or improve HRQOL among this patient population.