AV Fistula Care Practices among patients undergoing Hemodialysis-A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

A descriptive cross-sectional study was undertaken to assess the AV fistula care practices among 69 patients undergoing hemodialysis from the dialysis and Nephrology OPD of a selected Tertiary care Hospital in Ernakulam District. Data was collected using structured practice questionnaire. The study results showed that the majority (59.4%) of the subjects are having very good AV fistula care practices followed by 40.6% with good AV fistula care practices. The mean of AV fistula care practices was 30.22 with standard deviation 3.23. Item wise analysis showed majority of subject 49%had poor AV fistula care practices in checking AV fistula thrill or pulse daily and 40% subjects had less practice in washing hands before and after touching AVF site. No significant association were found between AV fistula care practices with selected demographic variables. Hence the study concluded that, screening and early identification of AV fistula care practices among patients with hemodialysis will help in the identification of complication and prompt treatment ensure faster recovery and improvement in their quality of life.