Nottingham health profile a reliable tool to measure quality of life of Filipinos with chronic kidney diseases undergoing hemodialysis

Abstract

The quality of life (QOL) of hemodialysis patients is often compromised and many tools have been developed to assess the health-related QOL of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients undergoing hemodialysis. However, no such tool is currently in use in the Philippines. The objective of this study is to determine if Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) can be a useful tool in the Philippines. Eighty patients undergoing hemodialysis in the dialysis unit of our hospital were enrolled for this study. Sixty-nine patients completed the study. Comparative analysis revealed significant difference in social isolation with favorable result for the Filipino patients. Other measures correlate well although with differences that were not statistically significant. NHP can be successfully applied as a standard QOL tool in the Philippines. However, it should be translated into Filipino to avoid language difficulty. NHP may be recommended for QOL determination in other developing countries.