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Learning Objective 1: Early identification and aggressive treatment of CKD patients may improve patient outcomes such as cardiovascular function, quality of life, and morbidity mortality.
Learning Objective 2: increase clinical responsibilities within today’s practice setting, and their role in managing CKD patients may increase in the future.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a worldwide public health problem. CKD usually progresses without obvious symptoms, and early medical intervention, is helpful in preventing the progression of CKD. A solid understanding of the disease is a key factor in fulfilling a full life and implementing a proper drug regimen. We investigated the current status of disease understanding among CKD patients.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire. All subjects were recruited from a community hospital. Because of a need for nephrologist referral, criteria for inclusion were set to include only subjects whom nephrologist had rated at a CKD stage between 2 and 5. The questionnaire targeted respondents’ understanding of CKD, and included physical activity, smoking status, and dietary habits.
Results:
The study surveyed 55 incidental patients with CKD. Nearly half of the patients had CKD symptoms. Symptom degree correlated positively with degree of daily life disturbance (p<0.05). Only eight patients restricted salt in their diet. Those patients who had previously obtained information of CKD had better scores on CKD knowledge compared to those who did not (t=5.68, p<.01). Twenty-four patients thought that CKD was not a significant illness due to the subtleness of symptoms. Ironically, thirty-nine patients thought that the disease would be life threatening if not properly brought under control. Most patients expressed an intention to ignore or deny disease progress.
Conclusion:
Disease understanding among incidental CKD patients in Taiwan is far from satisfactory. Such suggests a through educational program may be necessary for this group.