Mindfulness-based intervention as a symptom management strategy in patients with end-stage renal disease: A controlled clinical trial

Aim

The study's purpose was to examine the effect of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on physical and psychological symptoms in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in Jordan.

Methods

A repeated-measure randomized control study was conducted in a haemodialysis unit in Jordan between April 2023 and July 2023. Participants (N = 61) were selected using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. The experimental group performed 30-min MBI, three times a week for 8 weeks during haemodialysis sessions. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 were used to measure the outcomes at baseline, after 5 weeks of the intervention and at the end of the intervention.

Results

Mixed-model repeated-measure ANOVAs revealed that the experimental group showed significantly lower levels of stress, depression and physical symptoms than the control group over time. Within-subject repeated-measure ANOVAs revealed that, in the experimental group, physical symptoms improve significantly over the three points of time. However, significant reductions in psychological symptoms occurred 5 weeks after initiating the intervention, but there was no further significant improvement at the end of the intervention.

Conclusion

The study supports the integration of MBI as a symptom management strategy into nursing care plans of patients with ESRD.

Trial Registration

Clinical trial.gov; registration ID: NCT06064708.