Relationship between frailty, social support and family functionality of hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study.

Background The population with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is more predisposed to early development of frailty. Although the concept of frailty is well established from a physical point of view, it is not an exclusively physical syndrome. It can be characterized as an interaction of physical, psychological and social factors. Objective To ascertain the relationship between frailty, social support and family functionality among CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Design and setting Correlational, cross-sectional and quantitative study conducted at a service in the interior of the state of Sao Paulo. Methods This study included 80 patients with CKD who were on hemodialysis. The participants were interviewed individually, with application of the following instruments: sociodemographic and economic characterization, Tilburg Frailty Indicator, Medical Outcomes Study and Family APGAR. Females and white ethnicity predominated among the participants, and their mean age was 59.63 ± 15.14 years. Results There was high prevalence of frailty (93.8%). Although there was a difference in scores for the dimensions of social support between the frail group and the non-frail group, only family functionality reached a statistically relevant difference. There was a significant correlation between physical frailty, social support and family functionality. Conclusions Presence of frailty is related to the social support and family functionality of patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis.