Assessment of Health-related Quality of Life in Hmong Dialysis Patients at Mayo Clinic Health System Northwest Wisconsin

Abstract

A chronic illness, such as kidney disease, has a significant effect on an individual’s perception of their quality of life (QOL). Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is the subjective perception of an illness and treatment on the physical, psychological, and social well-being of that individual. In this study, we reviewed HRQOL in the Hmong-American (n = 22) and Non- Hmong-American (n = 40) patients receiving dialysis treatments at Mayo Clinic Health System Northwest Wisconsin (MCHS NWWI) utilizing the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-36 (KDQOL-36TM) survey. Our findings indicate a discrepancy between Hmong-American and Non-Hmong-American patients in the Burden of Kidney Disease subscale score of this survey. Language barriers, traditional belief systems versus Western medical practices, lack of understanding regarding illnesses, and a cultural focus on the family as a whole instead of individuality may have a significant bearing on the differences found between Hmong- American and Non-Hmong-American patients.