Abstract
Background: Dialysis patients consistently perceive themselves as having a poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) mainly in physical functioning.Patients treated with hemodialysis (HD) have many stressful factors in their life as family problems, social isolation, mental stresses, change in sexual functions and suicide. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) and self-care activities of Libyan patients on dialysis and its different dimensions. A total of 227 patients on HD between Tripoli and Zawia along 6 months (May-October 2015) participated, 39 patients refused to take a part in the research. Data collection was conducted using Kidney Disease and Quality of Life™ Short Form (KDQOL-SF™) Arabic Version 1.3. Results: While assessing QoL for patients with different educational levels, there was a significant difference between the groups in almost all domains, a good example is the physical activity domain. Female’s physical activity and abilities were obviously less than males which is affecting their QoL in most domains. Mental health for patients with longer durations of dialysis were obviously lower comparing to lesser durations on dialysis with a significant difference (p < 0.05). The findings showed a negative impact caused by with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and HD in patients with low educational levels, longer periods of dialysis as 10 years or more and on females. Conclusion: Libyan Kidney Disease Centers should put the dialysis patients under the spot and try to improve their QoL by understanding their needs, educating them more about their disease.