The purposes of this research were to explore the depression symptoms and the life quality degree of satisfaction in hemodialysis patients. The research was a cross-sectional design. A purposive sampling survey was conducted using structured questionnaires. A total of 146 hemodialysis patients, all at a hemodialysis center of a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan, comprised the study group. Questionnaires covered satisfaction of quality of life and depression inventory. The findings discovered: (1) In terms of the life quality degree of satisfaction, hemodialysis patients scored the highest on the family subscale and lowest on the health subscale. (2) All four parameters of age level, financial status, other chronic illness (diabetes and hypertension excluded), and having diabetes mellitus or not, differed significantly from satisfaction of quality of life (p<0.05). (3) The prevalence of depression was 45.9%. (4) Depression in hemodialysis patients correlated negatively with the life quality degree of satisfaction. Namely, when the patient score of depression was lower, then the life quality degree of satisfaction was higher. (5) The analysis of regression indicated that the depression score could predict 22% of the satisfaction of quality of life variance. In addition, chronic illness and age could explain up to 29.6% of the amount of variance. The findings of this research provide useful information for the clinical care of the nursing staff, to focus on the hemodialysis patients' different demands, and to provide individualized nursing care to improve the quality of life in patients with maintenance hemodialysis.
The purposes of this research were to explore the depression symptoms and the life quality degree of satisfaction in hemodialysis patients. The research was a cross-sectional design. A purposive sampling survey was conducted using structured questionnaires. A total of 146 hemodialysis patients, all at a hemodialysis center of a teaching hospital in northern Taiwan, comprised the study group. Questionnaires covered satisfaction of quality of life and depression inventory. The findings discovered: (1) In terms of the life quality degree of satisfaction, hemodialysis patients scored the highest on the family subscale and lowest on the health subscale. (2) All four parameters of age level, financial status, other chronic illness (diabetes and hypertension excluded), and having diabetes mellitus or not, differed significantly from satisfaction of quality of life (p<0.05). (3) The prevalence of depression was 45.9%. (4) Depression in hemodialysis patients correlated negatively with the life quality degree of satisfaction. Namely, when the patient score of depression was lower, then the life quality degree of satisfaction was higher. (5) The analysis of regression indicated that the depression score could predict 22% of the satisfaction of quality of life variance. In addition, chronic illness and age could explain up to 29.6% of the amount of variance. The findings of this research provide useful information for the clinical care of the nursing staff, to focus on the hemodialysis patients' different demands, and to provide individualized nursing care to improve the quality of life in patients with maintenance hemodialysis.