Abstract
Chronic kidney disease affects thousands of people and is currently a public health problem. Kidney transplantation is one of the forms of treatment used in order to improve the quality of life of these individuals. This study sought to trace the socio-demographic profile and to understand the significance of kidney transplantation and its impact on quality of life. Participants included 12 transplant patients under outpatient treatment at the public Hospital located in Recife. We used a socio-demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. Most patients were young adults, married, had completed/incomplete secondary education, were Catholic and had been on hemodialysis for up to 5 years. The interviews were categorized as: impact of the diagnosis, hemodialysis limits and restrictions and the freedom of transplantation. Through this study it was possible to observe that the transplant has helped to improve the patients’ quality of life and it can also guide healthcare professionals and patients who envisage performing this procedure.
Keywords:
chronic renal failure; kidney transplantation; quality of life
