Education as a clinical tool for self-dialysis

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Medical Education
• Patient Care

Background:

• Therapeutic compliance and patient education are vital for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) management.
• A comprehensive, multi-step educational program was implemented in an Italian center for home and self-care dialysis.
• The program guided patients from chronic renal failure through dialysis and potential transplantation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a multi-step patient education program on therapeutic compliance and patient understanding in ESRD.
• To evaluate patient reception and impact of educational materials, including lessons, booklets, and books.
• To determine the program's influence on patient choices regarding dialysis modality and transplantation.

Main Methods:

• The program involved informal lessons, validated booklets derived from lessons, and two distinct books: 'What does dialysis mean?' and 'Stories'.
• Patient participation and feedback were collected through questionnaires and observation.
• Validation involved subsets of patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD), hemodialysis (HD), and those considering transplantation.

Main Results:

• High patient participation (28/33) and positive feedback ('good' to 'fair') were reported for lessons.
• The book 'What does dialysis mean?' improved dialysis acceptance (65%) and comprehension (90%).
• The book 'Stories' influenced patient decisions regarding transplantation and led 12/18 new patients to choose self-dialysis.

Conclusions:

• The multi-step educational program effectively enhanced patient understanding and acceptance of renal replacement therapy.
• Educational materials, particularly books, significantly impacted patient choices concerning dialysis modality and transplantation.
• The program demonstrated success in promoting self-dialysis options and improving overall patient engagement in ESRD care.