[Self-Management in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease]

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients typically self-manage their disease-care program. Self-management requires the investment of considerable time and energy in health management and in following the multifaceted CKD treatment regimen. CKD, a progressive disease, is classified into five stages that correspond to the five stages of decline in kidney function, as measured using the glomerular filtration rate (GRF). Each of these stages requires that a patient modify his / her lifestyle and shoulder the responsibility for day-to-day health management tasks. Key to promoting self-management is the partnership and collaboration between healthcare providers and patients. Tasks in this partnership include patient assessment and communication, regimen adherence, emotional management, negotiation of care plans, and the enhancement of self-efficacy, with the aims of creating positive changes in behavior, promoting correct symptoms interpretation and reporting, and promoting the appropriate use of resources. Nurses may help patients maneuver this initially frightening and sometimes difficult terrain with strategies that are tailored to each CKD stage.