Assessment of Compliance with Treatment in Hemodialysis Patients

Abstract

Objectives: Success in treatment of dialysis patients is largely dependent on the patient's diet, fluid restriction and regular use of medications. Patients are more cautious about diet, but do not pay attention to drug use and fluid restriction. To reduce mortality in hemodialysis patients we need to improve the compliance of the patients. We aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge and motivation about diseases and treatment compliance of hemodialysis patients in our study. Materials and Methods: The study included 102 patients who underwent hemodialysis treatment between May 1 - June 30, 2017. A Questionnaire form including some sociodemographic characteristics, clinical features and laboratory values for the last 3 months of the individuals was applied with face-to-face interview method by the investigators. Modified Morisky Scale was used in the evaluation of treatment compliance in the study. Results: 58 (56.90%) of the patients were male and 44 (43.10%) were female. The mean age of the patients ranged from 30 to 85 years and the mean age was 60.90 ± 12.00 years. In hemodialysis patients, 88 (86.30%) people had high motivation and 93 (91.20%) people had high level of knowledge. There was no correlation between age, education status, marital status, body mass index, duration of dialysis, kidney transplantation history and diabetes mellitus and the knowledge and motivation levels of the patients. The level of knowledge in females was higher than males (p <0.05). In our study, the motivation status of patients with normal phosphorus levels was high (p<0.05). It was found that the motivation of patients with normal corrected calcium (Ca) value was higher than those with low corrected Ca value (p <0.05). Conclusion: Chronic kidney disease is a serious public health problem that affects a significant portion of the world's population. Treatment compliance is significantly effective in the treatment of hemodialysis patients. Dialysis treatment and treatment compliance of the patient can prevent from complications, reduce morbidity, mortality, and improve the life quality of the patient. In our study, 88 (86.30%) patients showed high motivation and 93 (91.20%) patients had high level of knowledge. It has been observed that high motivation and eventually treatment compliance has a positive effect on the Ca-P balance.