Comparison of care burden of hemodialysis and kidney transplant patients

Abstract

Introduction: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is an important health problem in which chronic, inflammatory, degenerative and irreversible. Objectives: The research was conducted to compare burden of caregivers of hemodialysis (HD) and kidney transplantation (KT) patients. Patients and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with HD, KT patients and their primary caregivers in a university hospital between July 2019 and June 2020. Power analysis was used to determine the sample size of the study, and a total of 71 HD and 71 KT patients and their caregivers (n=142) were included in the study sample at a confidence interval of 85%. The Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) scale was used in data collection. The data were analysed by using the SPSS version 22.0 software. Results: As a result of the study, it was determined that the mean caregiver burden score (30.59±13.25) of the caregivers of HD patients was higher than the mean caregiver burden score (22.20±13.95) of the KT patients, and the difference was statistically significant. The difference between socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers of HD patients and the mean ZBI score was not statistically significant. A statistically significant difference was detected between the age and marital status and the mean ZBI scale scores of the caregivers of patients who underwent KT. Conclusion: As a result of the study, it was found that the care burden of HD patients was higher than the care burden of KT patients. In order to provide holistic care, healthcare professionals need to address the care burden of HD patients.