Adequate self-care of dialysed patients: a review of the literature

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept: ‘adequate self-care of patients treated with hemodialysis (HD) or continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)’. This was done by the specification of Orem's general definition of self-care and a review of the literature. Adequate self-care behaviours for preventing and regulating pathological processes and related disabilities e.g. following dialysis and medication prescriptions as well as diet and fluid regimens are well documented. Adequate self-care behaviours aimed to promote personal well-being or development are less well documented. The authors suggest that use of the concept of adequate self-care would enlarge the scope of the disease management of HD and CAPD patients. Further research should focus on systematically investigating self-care activities of dialysed patients and their contribution to health and quality of life outcomes.