Patient-Reported Experiences After Acute Kidney Injury Across Multiple Health-Related Quality-of-Life Domains

Abstract

Background: Investigations of health-related quality-of life (HRQoL) in acute kidney injury (AKI) have been limited in number, size, and domains assessed. We surveyed AKI survivors to describe the range of HRQoL AKI-related experiences and examine potential differences in AKI impacts by gender and age at AKI episode. Methods: AKI survivors among American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP) completed an anonymous online survey in September 2020. We assessed: (1) socio-demographics, (2) impacts of AKI - physical, emotional, social, and (3) perceptions about interactions with healthcare providers using quantitative and qualitative items. Results: Respondents were 124 adult AKI survivors. 84% reported that the AKI episode was very/extremely impactful on physical/emotional health. Fifty-seven percent reported being very/extremely concerned about AKI effects on work and 67% were concerned about AKI effects on family. Only 52% of respondents rated medical team communication as very/extremely good. Individuals ages 22-65 at AKI episode were more likely than younger/older counterparts to rate the AKI episode as highly impactful overall (90% vs 63% younger and 75% older individuals; p = 0.040), more impactful on family (78% vs 50% and 46%; p = 0.008) and more impactful on work (74% vs 38% and 10%; p < 0.001). Limitations of this work include convenience sampling, retrospective data collection, and unknown AKI severity. Conclusions: These findings are a critical step forward in understanding the range of AKI experiences/consequences. Future research should incorporate more comprehensive HRQoL measures and healthcare professionals should consider providing more information in their patient communication about AKI and follow-up.