| Summary: | Introduction: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a global health problem with increasing prevalence worldwide. The number of patients with ESRD will increase to almost 60% by 2020, with the potential to greatly impact patients’ quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to explore and analyze QOL in patients with ESRD on dialysis.
Methods: Grounded theory, under pinned by a social constructivism paradigm, was used. Data collection occurred simultaneously in the natural settings of four selected public hospitals. A coding process was used to analyze rich data and generate findings from three focus group discussions.
Results: Results revealed that some participants scheduled for hemodialysis three times a week and others performing peritoneal dialysis four times a day lost their jobs. Young participants in the study worried about changes in body image due to dialysis and reported psychological discomfort. Others felt that they were a burden to their families as they sought transportation assistance at all times for hospital visits and dialysis. Most participants no longer engaged in social activities because of restrictions imposed by their dialysis schedules. However, good social support enabled participants to survive the challenges they encountered on dialysis.
Discussion: Three overarching categories emerged from this study, living in fear causing stress and depression, dependency, and geographical remoteness, which contributed to poor QOL in participants with ESRD.
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