Dialysis is a life-saving process but it can also change your life dramatically. Diet changes, multiple medications and less time and energy can affect your health-related quality of life (HRQOL).  HRQOL is your rating of your physical health, mental health and how much of a burden kidney disease is to you. Your social worker will determine your HRQOL using the KDQOL-36, a thirty-six question survey. Medicare requires the KDQOL-36 be given to dialysis patients at least once a year.

Your social worker will talk with you about your scores and can offer suggestions on how to improve them. Low HRQOL scores are linked to an increased risk of hospital stays and death, and are as good as serum albumin levels or dialysis adequacy at predicting how well you will do. Studies have found setting goals, exercising, getting more hemodialysis and treating anemia and bone disease can help improve HRQOL scores.  

This article originally appeared in the October 2009 issue of Renal Flash.