Quality of life and associated factors among chronic kidney disease patients at Zewditu Memorial and Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospitals, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study design

Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, healthcare cost and reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This study aimed to assess HRQoL and associated factors among patients with CKD at both Zewditu Memorial and Tikur Anbessa Specialised Hospitals, Ethiopia. Method A cross-sectional study design was performed. All patients who visited the renal clinics in both hospitals from March to July 2019 were targeted, and data were collected using interviews and medical records. HRQoL was assessed using the Kidney Disease and Quality of Life-36 tool. Normality assessment was done for HRQoL subscales. Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, t-test and one-way analysis of variance were performed. ResultA total of 300 patients with CKD were included. Around 62% of them were in either stage 3 or 4 CKD. The mean domain scores of physical component summary (PCS), mental component summary (MCS), burden of kidney disease, effect of kidney disease and symptoms and problems of kidney disease (SPKD) subscales were 50.4, 59.5, 63.1, 74.6 and 80.4, respectively. The lowest HRQoL was seen in the PCS scale, while the highest was in SPKD. In addition, the study revealed that a lower level of education, elevated serum creatinine and a history of smoking were significantly associated with poor PCS score. Further, the presence of three or more comorbidities, CKD-related complications and a lower haemoglobin level were significantly associated with poor MCS. Conclusion The overall mean scores of PCS and MCS were low, below the standard level. Level of education, serum creatinine and smoking history were significantly associated with PCS, while the presence of comorbidity, complications and haemoglobin level were significantly associated with MCS. Stakeholders working on CKD management should design a relevant strategy targeting patients, patients' care providers and healthcare professionals to improve HRQoL of patients.