Analysis of the agreement between the evaluation by patients undergoing haemodialysis of their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) and the evaluation of these patients by nursing staff

Introduction. Healthcare professionals tend to assume that their evaluation of their patients’ state of health and Quality of Life is consistent with the evaluation done by the patients themselves. However, several studies show that there are discrepancies that could affect the perception of patient care and satisfaction. Objectives. To assess the agreement between the evaluation by patients on haemodialysis of their HealthRelated Quality of Life (HRQL) and the evaluation of these patients by nursing staff. Material and method. All the patients (N=57) were interviewed by a psychologist of the service using the EUROQOL questionnaire, which measures limitations in Mobility, Personal Care, Daily Activities, Pain/Discomfort and Anxiety/ Depression. Every question is answered by marking 1-no problems, 2-moderate problems, 3-many problems. In the same week, unaware of the responses given by the patients, the nurses evaluated them with the same questionnaire. Results. Absolute agreement oscillated from 56% in Pain/Discomfort and 60% in Anxiety/Depression up to 68% in Mobility and Activities of Daily Living and 74% in Personal Care. It was found that lower comorbility, fewer daily medicines, and higher scores in the Karnofsky and Barthel scales are associated to patient-nurse agreement in a statistically signifi cant way. Conclusions. Nurses seem to match patients’ evaluation of their own HRQL more closely when more observable aspects are evaluated, and when the patients present more favourable states of health.