| Abstract [eng] |
Nowadays there are about 2000 people with chronic kidney disease in Lithuania. It is estimated that about 1500 patients on dialysis are waiting for kidney transplantation while 500 patients are after kidney transplantation. Kidney disease is diagnosed for 200-300 people every year. So the general number of these patients increases from 100 to 120, however, about 15-18% of them are dying per year. The main reason which influenced to choose this topic for the work was the results of previous research (2007). It was investigated that psychosocial needs of nephrological patients are hardly satisfied and care that promote quality of life in these patients is only minimal. So with this research we were trying to find out how nephrological patients cope with disability, what strategies they choose and what resources (internal and external/ social) they consider to be the main. The aim of this research was to investigate what methods for coping with disability are used by nephrological patients. The subject of research was the methods for coping with disability in nephrological patients. There were two hypotheses: the first one is that patients on dialysis assess their physical health more negatively than patients after kidney transplantation. And the second one is that patients on dialysis and patients after kidney transplantation apply different methods for coping with disability. To achieve the aim of this research, there were interviewed nephrological patients and the form of interview was questionnaire. The methods for coping with disability in patients on dialysis and those who are after kidney transplantation were analyzed and compared using a created questionnaire. The total number of patients who participated in research was 130 (among them were 57 dialyzed patients and 73 persons after kidney transplantation). We could say that this sample is purposeful because almost all nephrological patients come to health centre in Vilnius with the intention to check their health or have dialysis procedure. The results revealed that after kidney transplantation almost all patients’ health becomes better or remarkably better. These nephrological patients who assess their physical health negatively, usually, consider that it is not possible to cope with disability. The research showed that the main internal resources that help to cope with disability in nephrological patients are family or family members, friends and relatives. The fifth of respondents do not know how external/ social resources such as social and educational institutions, labor market office or local community could help to cope with disability. They stressed that health care specialists (for example, doctors and medical carers) give a help the most. The hypothesis was supported that dialyzed patients assess their health more negatively comparing with patients after kidney transplantation. The second hypothesis that patients on dialysis and patients after kidney transplantation apply different methods for coping with disability was partly supported. There was investigated that only employment (job) differs significantly among these two groups of respondents since patients after kidney transplantation noticed that job helps to cope with disability twice as much than patients on dialysis. It is important to emphasize that only these nephrological patients in employable age (18-41 years old) noted that employment (job) could mostly help to cope with disability. |
