Hemodiálise

: perceção dos doentes sobre o apoio social

Abstract

This master’s dissertation is based on research on "Haemodialysis: Patients’ perception of social support". This support is crucial to face critical life situations in case of disease, such as Chronic Renal Insufficiency (CRI), namely when treated with Haemodialysis (HD), since it saves the lives of many patients, although wearing them out given its physical, social and psychological consequences, as well as its slowness and physical and social intrusiveness. Thus, the main objective consists in understanding patients’ perception of social support and identifying the possible relationship between this support and the physical, social and psychological consequences of that treatment. The study is composed by a theoretical part - where the concepts that serve as basis for the research are treated - and a second part, which handles, in a first stage, its methodology and, in a second, presents and discusses the results of the empirical research. This study, which is descriptive, quantitative, correlational and transversal, involves 112 patients that are regularly treated with HD at Centro Hospitalar Tondela- Viseu, E.P.E. (CHTV) and at Beirodial - Centro Médico e Diálise de Mangualde. The data was obtained through a survey construed by the author to ascertain the patients’ socio-demographic characterisation, perception of informal and formal social support, and perception of HD consequences. A survey was also used to characterise only informal social support – the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS). The results demonstrate that, for the most part, the sample classifies informal social support as “very good” and formal social support as “good”. There is a significant relationship between social support and some items of HD consequences, such as: physical consequences – not feeling well after HD and being able to carry on with daily life normally; social consequences – change in the relationship with spouse/family, going out less with friends/family, changes in economic resources, loss of employment, and halting daily routines; psychological consequences – feeling sad/depressed, irritated, and/or guilty for affecting other people.

Date of Award	2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Olívia Dias (Supervisor)