Spiritual well-being of hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis have implications for people's lives, requiring internal resources to deal with this situation, such as spiritual well-being. Objective: To analyze the spiritual well-being of patients in a hemodialysis clinic in the north of Espírito Santo. Methods: Quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive research, carried out in a clinic in the northern region of Espírito Santo. Patients over 18 years of age and with at least 12 months of therapy at the clinic were included; hospitalized patients were excluded. Data collection took place in October/2022, through interviews, applying the Spiritual Well-being Scale (EBE). The EBE consists of 20 items, ten aimed at measuring religious well-being and ten measuring existential well-being, answered on a 6-point Likert scale. In the general score, scores of 20 to 40, 41 to 99 and 100 to 120 indicate, respectively, low, moderate and high EBE. In the subscales, the range from 10 to 20 indicates low EBE, from 21 to 49 moderate and from 50 to 60 high. Descriptive analysis was used with the aid of Stata 13.0 software. CEP opinion no. 5,454,225. Results: 106 people participated in the study. The overall score was 27.05 ± 6.75. The mean existential EBE was 18.8 ± 7.2, ranging from 9 to 44; the item that obtained the highest percentage of agreement was “I believe that there is some true purpose for my life”. The mean religious EBE was 16.5 ± 6.3, ranging from 11 to 44; the item with the highest percentage of agreement was “I feel fully fulfilled when I am in close communion with God”. Conclusion: In this sample, patients had low spiritual well-being, as verified both in the general score and in the subscales of existential and religious well-being. The perception of purpose and fulfillment when in communion with God were the most prevalent items.