Quality of Life and Associated Factors Among Hemodialysis Patients: Basis For a Quality-Of-Life Enhancement Program

Chronic kidney disease, which leads to end-stage renal disease, requires patients to undertake hemodialysis treatment for survival. While hemodialysis is necessary for survival, maintenance hemodialysis burdens patients because it requires time, effort, and money. Assessing quality of life is important in renal health care because treatment outcomes should be evaluated from both a healthcare and QoL perspective. This study aimed to assess patients' quality of life across four main domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental) and identify the socio-demographic and clinical factors that may influence quality of life and its improvement. The proposed program for improving quality of life is called K.R.I.S.T.E.L., which stands for (list the name of program in full). It employed a non-experimental descriptive correlational research design and used total enumeration sampling to select 150 respondents from patients undergoing hemodialysis at the dialysis center. The researchers obtained ethical approval from the Ethics Review Board (ERB) of St. Bernadette of Lourdes College (SBLC). The statistical methods included frequency, percentage, and weighted mean analyses, with the Chi-square Test of Independence at the 0.05 level of significance. The results showed a roughly even split between male and female participants (50.67% female and 49.33% male). Most participants had completed school (32.67%) and reported being married (42.67%). Most participants were unemployed (55.33%) and were financially supported by their children (40.00%). Additionally, most participants were not senior citizens (73.33%). Over half of the participants perceived themselves as sick, with hypertension (32.00%) and diabetes (10.67%) mentioned as the most common co-existing illnesses. Quality-of-life results across all four WHOQOL-BREF domains showed considerable differences in the physical, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions. Furthermore, the Chi-Square Test of Independence demonstrated statistically significant associations ($p \le 0.05$) between select socio-demographic/clinical profile characteristics and the respondents' level of quality of life, confirming that patient well-being is shaped by a combination of personal, economic, and health-related factors. In conclusion, the findings confirm that hemodialysis patients face complex, interconnected challenges across physical, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions. To address these identified gaps, the study formulated the empirical, evidence-based K.R.I.S.T.E.L. Quality of Life Enhancement Program to guide nursing practice, holistic dialysis management, patient-centered care strategies, and supportive health interventions.