Awareness of Chronic Kidney Disease, Medication, and Laboratory Investigation among Nephrology and Urology Patients of Quetta, Pakistan

Abstract

Patients’ awareness is critical in medical care, as it can serve as an input into the adjustment of interventions. The aim of study was to explore the level of awareness regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD), its medications, and laboratory investigations among nephrology and urology patients of Quetta. The cross-sectional study was used by adopting and culturally modifying a questionnaire. By convenient sampling technique, a total of 500 questionnaires were self-administered to inpatients, outpatients, and dialysis patients, and 468 responses (response rate 93.6%) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and reliability analysis were performed on SPSS v25. A majority, 50.3% (n = 235), was unaware of symptoms that will develop due to worsening of disease, while 56.2% (n = 263) were unaware of what aggravates their kidney function. Almost half of the affected individuals, 47.4% (n = 222), have no understanding about the long-term prognosis of the disease. The majority of the respondents, 51.5% (n = 248), do not know about the names and usage of medications, and 62.4% (n = 292) were unaware of the medicines that may impair kidney function; more than half, 66.7% (n = 312), were unaware about the necessary laboratory investigations. A strong association between awareness and patient education level was found (p < 0.001). Awareness regarding disease condition, medications, and laboratory investigations of CKD among nephrology and urology patients of Quetta was found out to be low, which needs immediate educational intervention.

Keywords: CKD; awareness; knowledge; laboratory; medications; nephrology; urology.