The Relationship Between Palliative Care Needs and Spiritual Well-being of Maintenance Hemodialysis Individuals in China: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study investigated the current status of palliative care needs among maintenance hemodialysis individuals and their correlation with spiritual well-being. In this cross-sectional study, 363 maintenance hemodialysis individuals at five hospital hemodialysis centers in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China, were surveyed using the General Information Questionnaire, the Disease-Related Information Questionnaire, the Palliative Care Outcome Scale (POS), and the Assessment of Chronic Disease Therapeutic Function-Mental Health Scale (FACIT-Sp-12). While the FACIT-Sp-12 scale has certain limitations-particularly that its "peace" and "meaning" subscales predominantly reflect mental health rather than spiritual well-being, with only the "faith" subscale truly measuring spiritual well-being (thus requiring cautious interpretation)-it has demonstrated satisfactory reliability and validity in Chinese patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis. Hemodialysis individuals exhibited a moderate level of palliative care needs, and these needs were negatively correlated with their spiritual well-being. The dimensions of peace and faith in the FACIT-Sp-12 were part of the predictors of palliative care needs. Clinical healthcare professionals can enhance the spiritual well-being of individuals undergoing MHD by promoting inner peace and firm faith within them, reduce the need for palliative care, improve the quality of nursing services, and ultimately improve overall quality of life.