Assessment of Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Using the SF36 Questionnaire in the Nephrology Department of Donka National Hospital

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is a major issue in medical and economic decision-making. Assessing quality of life allows both the medical community and health authorities to evaluate how patients perceive their health status. Measuring quality of life helps reduce the information asymmetry between patients and the medical profession. Our objective was to assess the quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease who are not on dialysis, as well as the factors influencing it in the nephrology department. Patients and methods: our descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study covered a period of seven months, from September 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021. The assessment was based on a self-administered questionnaire used in surveys of patients with chronic kidney disease, consisting of 36 items exploring eight different dimensions that allow for an approach to both the mental and physical components of health. Results: This descriptive cross-sectional study assesses the quality of life of 74 patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not on dialysis in Guinea, using the SF-36 questionnaire. A large majority of patients (82.43%) were classified as dependent or non-autonomous based on their scores. Dyspnoea was identified as the only factor significantly associated with poor quality of life in the bivariate analysis. Conclusion: Assessing quality of life should therefore be an important objective for nephrologists in the therapeutic management of patients with chronic kidney disease.