Validation and Evaluation of Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale Short-Form (Msas-Sf)In a Romanian Cohort of Hemodialysis Patients

The aim of this study was to validate the MSAS-SF in a Romanian hemodialysis (HD) population and to assess the prevalence and severity of physical and psychological symptoms of patients. Materials and methods: 102 stable patients (41 males, 61 females, mean age 52.51 ± 12.02 years), who were treated with hemodialysis (HD) three times weekly completed questionnaires on prevalence and severity of symptoms. To determine symptoms prevalence and severity for HD patients MSAS-SF was used. Cronbach`s alpha reliability test was performed to assess internal consistency of the MSAS-SF. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha reliability score for the total number of items of the MSAS-SF was 0.838, while for the subscales of MSAS-SF the reliability scores  ranged  from acceptable to very good. The top three symptoms experienced by hemodialysis patients were lack of energy, followed by pain, and worrying. The most frequently reported physical symptoms included lack of energy (69.6%), pain (68.6%), and numbness /tingling in hands/feet (64.7%), difficulty sleeping (63.7%), dry mouth (61.8%), dizziness (58.8%), and problems with sexual interest or activity (52%). The most frequent psychological symptoms included worrying (65.7%), feeling sad (59.8%), feeling nervous (50%), and feeling irritable (40.2%). Conclusions: These results support the validity of the MSAS-SF in the assessment of Romanian patients undergoing hemodialysis. Hemodialysis patients have important psychological and physical symptoms burden.