The experience of dialysis therapy among younger adults.

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to examine the experience of younger dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care. Structured tape-recorded interviews focusing on perceptions of ESRD care and how that care could be improved were initially conducted with 25 dialysis patients [16 on conventional hemodialysis (HD), 6 on nocturnal in-center HD, 2 on home peritoneal dialysis (PD), and 1 on home HD]. The mean age of the patients was 43.8 +/- 12.2 years, and their mean dialysis duration was 4.6 +/- 3. Oyears. Five important domains were identified from the interviews. Based on those findings, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to 62 ESRD patients (49 on HD, 13 on PD). Several domains were identified that provide insight into how the patients thought their care could be improved. Our results suggest that certain changes in ESRD care might improve the experience of younger dialysis patients.