Life experiences of long-term hemodialysis patients : A descriptive review

Abstract: Background : Hemodialysis improved quality of life and reduced morbidity andmortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. At the same time, contemporarysociety was increasingly concerned about the life experience and needs of patientsduring the treatment phase. Understanding the life experience of hemodialysis patientswas helpful for nurses to provide more effective, more professional and more targetednursing programs for hemodialysis patients and improved patients' self-managementand quality of life.Aim : The aim of this review was to describe the life experience of long-termhemodialysis patients.Methods : In this qualitative study, pubmed and cinahl databases were used to retrievearticles. A total of 17 articles were included. Topicanalysis method was used to classifythe contents, two-dimensional matrix was used to organize the information, and dataanalysis was conducted under the guidance of the similarity principle.Results : The results of this study showed that the life experiences of long-termhemodialysis patients consist of four main themes, ( 1) quality of life changes (subthemes : physical health changes, mental and psychological changes, changes in lifeand social behavior) ; ( 2) the patient's experience during dialysis ( subthemes :problems and effects of dialysis, the security of dialysis) ; ( 3) patient self-management( subthemes : self-management of dialysis and treatment, self-management in the faceof life's limitations) ; ( 4) get support ( subthemes : exogenous support, endogenoussupport).Conclusions : Hemodialysis brought great changes to the lives of patients. With theprogress of hemodialysis, the difficulties encountered in life were gradually increasing.The support of national policies and the care of medical staff to patients could improvetheir quality of life to a certain extent.Keywords : Hemodialysis, Life experience, Long-term, Patient