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21-May-2008
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Arch Hellen Med, 25(2), March-April 2008, 177-183 ORIGINAL PAPER Health survey of transplanted patients in end-stage renal failure M. SARRIS,1 A. GOULA,1 S. SOULIS,1 C. STAVROPOULOS2 |
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was the assessment of the health related quality of life of patients after successful renal transplantation.
METHOD The study took place in Athens and Thessaloniki in 2005 and the sample was composed of 407 patients. The instrument used for the study was the SF-36 Health Interview Survey. The SF-36 questionnaires were administered by the method of self-report before the patients' visits to the outpatient services unit in the transplantation centers.
RESULTS The analysis of the responses of the transplanted patients gave the following scores: (a) on the scales of physical health: bodily pain 70.8, physical function 60.3, physical role 57.2, general health 50.7, and (b) on the scales of psycho-social health: social function 68.6, mental health 61.4, emotional role 58.2, vitality 56.7. Analysis of the associations revealed that the physical and psycho-social health depends on the total life satisfaction, work ability and the complications after renal transplantation, and does not depend on the age and the income to a significant degree. The psycho-social health depends mainly on the sex, the hospitalisation rate, the treatment duration and the educational level.
CONCLUSIONS The transplanted kidney patients report critical reduction of the bodily pain impact in their daily activities inside and outside the home, and essential improvement of their social function. However, the general health of the patients is not perceived to have improved accordingly, since the improvement of vitality and mental health has greater requirements than the re-establishment of social activities.
Key words: Health-related quality of life, Health survey SF-36, Renal transplantation.
