Esperança de vida e transplante renal: aplicação da Escala de Herth em pacientes em lista de espera

Abstract

Objective: the present study aimed to evaluate the level of hope of chronic kidney disease patients on the waiting list for kidney transplantation through the application of the Herth scale. Method: this is a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach carried out in the hemodialysis service in a satellite city of Brasília. Data collection took place between September and November 2023, after submission and approval of the research to the CEP of the Foundation for Teaching and Research in Health Sciences – FEPECS. Results: the application of the Herth Scale revealed that the study sample presented a high level of hope, regardless of any factor. Regarding the sociodemographic profile of the participants, half were men and the other half women, aged between 30 and 70 years old, incomplete primary education, married, mixed race, half evangelicals and the other half Catholics. Half of the participants were retired or receiving benefits. The clinical profile of the patients indicated hypertension as the main cause of CKD, time on hemodialysis between 1 and 3 years, arteriovenous fistula as the predominant vascular access and a waiting time of 1 year for the first transplant. Conclusion: the results indicate that the level of hope of patients on the kidney transplant waiting list is high. In the context of chronic kidney disease, hope emerges as a positive measure for coping with the difficulties of daily life. Loss to follow-up in pre-transplant follow-up and difficulties in carrying out previous exams were identified as limiting factors for enrolling on the kidney transplant waiting list. It is recommended that similar studies be carried out in different dialysis therapy contexts.