Group intervention to improve quality of life in haemodialysis patients

Aim and objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of group intervention on depression, self‐efficacy and quality of life in haemodialysis patients. Background. Chronic renal failure and haemodialysis treatment is a long‐term process; patients need to have an appropriate adaptive strategy to confront the stress stemming from the disease and subsequent haemodialysis treatment. The application of group intervention for haemodialysis patients has been limited. Design. This study applied an experimental design methodology. Patients were selected at two haemodialysis units of major medical centres in northern Taiwan. Methods. Out of 60 original patients randomly assigned into experimental or control groups, 48 completed the study. Twenty patients in the experimental group received group psychosocial intervention. The therapy ran for two hours per week for two months. Twenty‐eight patients in the comparison group received routine unit care and a self‐care booklet. Instruments included the Strategies Used by People to Promote Health, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Short Form‐36. Data were collected at pretest and one month following the therapy. Results. The findings demonstrated that self‐care self‐efficacy, depression and quality of life significantly improved statistically for patients in the therapy group, compared with patients in the comparison group. Conclusions. The study indicated that group psychosocial intervention significantly reduced depression, improved self‐care self‐efficacy and quality of life in haemodialysis patients. Relevance to clinical practice. The present study was conducted with a group of outpatients, did not require expensive resources and was not time intensive, making it a viable therapy, clinically suitable for haemodialysis patients.