Background: This study was designed to analyze relationships among blood test results, sleep disturbance, depression and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. A total of 114 hemodialysis patients treated at a local teaching hospital in Central Taiwan participated. Methods: Using a cross-sectional descriptive correlational approach, the researcher employed several questionnaires, including WHOQOL-BREF, Beck depression inventory-Ⅰ, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and PSQI to obtain study data. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.0. Results: Sleep quality: female and diabetic patients suffered from relatively more severe sleep disturbance. Patient hematocrit, calcium, cholesterol, sodium, ferritin, parathyroid hormone and uric acid levels were all highly correlated to sleeping disorders. Depression severity: 60% of hemodialysis patients suffered from depression. HDL, TG, Na and UA serum levels correlated positively to depression severity (p<.05). Quality of life: participants earned the highest scores in the environmental profile and lowest scores in the social profile. Lower levels of education, diabetes and blood test result abnormalities were found to relate positively to patient quality of life. Severity of participant sleep disturbance and depression were highly related to life quality (p<.05). Conclusions: Participant variables and blood test result abnormalities were found to affect sleep quality, depression severity and life quality. Life quality was also found to affect sleep quality and depression severity. This research was intended to provide guidance to nursing staff to adjust doctors' orders and diet, weight control and daily care recommendations in order to improve nursing care quality and patient life quality during hemodialysis treatment.
Background: This study was designed to analyze relationships among blood test results, sleep disturbance, depression and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. A total of 114 hemodialysis patients treated at a local teaching hospital in Central Taiwan participated. Methods: Using a cross-sectional descriptive correlational approach, the researcher employed several questionnaires, including WHOQOL-BREF, Beck depression inventory-Ⅰ, Pittsburgh sleep quality index and PSQI to obtain study data. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.0. Results: Sleep quality: female and diabetic patients suffered from relatively more severe sleep disturbance. Patient hematocrit, calcium, cholesterol, sodium, ferritin, parathyroid hormone and uric acid levels were all highly correlated to sleeping disorders. Depression severity: 60% of hemodialysis patients suffered from depression. HDL, TG, Na and UA serum levels correlated positively to depression severity (p<.05). Quality of life: participants earned the highest scores in the environmental profile and lowest scores in the social profile. Lower levels of education, diabetes and blood test result abnormalities were found to relate positively to patient quality of life. Severity of participant sleep disturbance and depression were highly related to life quality (p<.05). Conclusions: Participant variables and blood test result abnormalities were found to affect sleep quality, depression severity and life quality. Life quality was also found to affect sleep quality and depression severity. This research was intended to provide guidance to nursing staff to adjust doctors' orders and diet, weight control and daily care recommendations in order to improve nursing care quality and patient life quality during hemodialysis treatment.