Quality of Life for Kidney Transplant Palestinian Patients

The purpose of kidney transplantation is to improve the quality of life (QoL) for patients with end-stage renal disease. This study aims to measure QoL in renal transplant patients in Bethlehem and Hebron in Palestine. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed on 109 renal transplant patients referred to Palestinian Ministry of Health - primary health-care clinics of Bethlehem and Hebron in Palestine from December 2016 to April 2017, by using Kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ-25) for the assessment of QoL and determining the effect of sociodemographic variables on QoL. The reliability of KTQ-25 was determined to be 0.74 by Cronbach's alpha method. Data were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 19.0 and descriptive analytic statistics. The mean QoL for kidney transplant patients was 4.02 +/- 0.84. The highest score of the KTQ was the appearance dimension (5.40 +/- 1.23), whereas the lowest was related to the uncertainty/fear dimension (3.36 +/- 1.23). The sample consisted of mostly males (79.8%), and their mean age was (41 +/- 24) years. Most were married (81.7%), 45.9% were without work, and 66.1% of kidney donors' type were biologically blood related. No statistically significant difference was observed (P > 0.05) between the sociodemographic variables and QoL. Surprisingly, the majority of kidney transplant patients (83.3%) were on prednisone. The QoL for kidney transplant patients was moderate. The society, government, family, and medical staff need to support patients to alleviate fear and uncertainty they feel. Furthermore, high reliance on corticosteroids in treatment needs to be reconsidered.