[The role of psychological interventions in dialysis: an exploratory study]

Patients suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have a very reduced quality of life accompanied by a severe emotional distress (high worries-anxiety-depression). However, in Belgium, no regular psychological intervention is proposed to dialyzed patients. Our objective is to show that psychological intervention can significantly decrease the emotional distress of patients with ESRD. Eleven sessions of structured interventions are proposed to ESRD patients. Eligibility criteria are to be major, to not present confusion or/and dementia, to have been on dialysis treatment for at least 3months, to have obtained 14 or more on HAD-scale. Interventions carry on the management of anxious and depressive symptoms and of the disease itself. This constitutes three independent modules. Questionnaires are filled in by the patients at various stages to evaluate the anxiety and the depression (HADS), the worries (Penn State) and the quality of life (KDQoL-SF). Results for the 47 ESRD patients show a significant reduction of the scores of anxiety, depression and worries and a significant growth of quality of life. In parallel, a decrease in the serum calcium-phosphorus product analyzed before dialysis has been noted.