Assessing Quality of Life in Hemodialysis Patients in Kazakhstan: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aruzhan Asanova, Aidos K. Bolatov, Deniza Suleimenova, Yelnur Khazhgaliyeva, Saule Shaisultanova, Sholpan Altynova, Yuriy Pya

2025

Full text Open access: Gold Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.3390/jcm14145021
Data confidence 70 medium
How this score is calculated

It is built from checkable properties of the record itself: whether the article has a DOI, how many independent sources confirmed its data, whether the required fields are filled in, and how recent the latest confirmation is. Disagreement between sources and a missing identifier lower it. A value of 80 or above means the record was published without further checking; 60 to 79 means it is published at reduced confidence, with a manual check advisable. A record verified by an editor by hand is never pushed below 90 by a recalculation. This scores our data about the article, not the article itself.

Abstract

Background: The Kidney Disease and Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF™ 1.3) is widely used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with end-stage renal disease. However, no prior validation had been conducted in Kazakhstan, where both Kazakh and Russian are commonly spoken. This study aimed to validate the Kazakh and Russian versions of the KDQOL-SF™ 1.3 and to identify predictors of HRQoL among hemodialysis patients in Kazakhstan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 217 adult hemodialysis patients from February to April 2025 using a mixed-methods approach (in-person interviews and online data collection). Psychometric testing included Cronbach’s alpha, floor and ceiling effect analysis, and Pearson correlations with self-rated overall health. Multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors of the Kidney Disease Component Summary (KDCS), Physical Component Summary (PCS), and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores. Results: Both language versions demonstrated acceptable to excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.692–0.939). Most subscales were significantly correlated with self-rated health, supporting construct validity. Regression analyses revealed that greater satisfaction with care, better economic well-being, and more positive dialysis experiences were significant predictors of higher KDCS and MCS scores. Lower PCS scores were associated with female gender, comorbidities, and financial burden. Importantly, financial hardship and access challenges emerged as strong negative influences on HRQoL, underscoring the role of socioeconomic and care-related factors in patient well-being. Conclusions: The KDQOL-SF™ 1.3 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing quality of life among Kazakh- and Russian-speaking hemodialysis patients in Kazakhstan. Integrating this instrument into routine clinical practice may facilitate more personalized, patient-centered care and help monitor outcomes beyond traditional clinical indicators. Addressing economic and access-related barriers has the potential to significantly improve both physical and mental health outcomes in this vulnerable population.