Existential boredom: the experience of living on haemodialysis therapy

Abstract

Empathy is an essential component of professional nursing practice. In order to empathise appropriately with patients, it is crucial that nurses appreciate, understand and respond to their patients' experience of illness. This study sought to explore the experiences of 16 people with end stage renal disease on haemodialysis therapy in Ireland. A hermeneutical phenomenological methodology was employed incorporating qualitative interviews. The data were analysed using qualitative interpretive analysis. The experience of waiting was significant for the participants in the study. The experience of waiting was constituted by two themes labelled killing time and wasting time. It is suggested that the participants' experience of waiting is reminiscent of Heidegger's existential account of boredom. Moreover, the existential perspective of boredom contained within the participants' accounts is also depicted by Beckett in his play Waiting for Godot. Consequently, the literature of both existential writers is incorporated to provide a more in-depth description of the participants' experience of waiting. It is hoped that the insights provided in this paper will enable practitioners to gain a new awareness and understanding of patients' experiences of end stage renal disease and haemodialysis therapy. This would subsequently enable these professionals to empathise more effectively with their patients' situation and respond more appropriately to their care needs.End stage renal disease (ESRD) is a chronic and lifethreatening illness. In order to survive, the person requires renal replacement therapy. Haemodialysis is one modality of renal replacement therapy. During the treatment, high volumes of the person's blood are continuously filtered through a dialyser (artificial kidney), where the blood is purified and returned to the patient. The person on haemodialysis has to adhere to a strict regime of dialysis, dietary and fluid restrictions, and medications. Moreover, there are numerous physical, psychological and social problems associated with the treatment, which make it particularly difficult to accept. Consequently, the existing literature emphasises the losses and lifestyle disruptions imposed on the person's life by ESRD and dialysis. [1][2][3] A recent study was carried out to explore the experiences of 16 patients on hospital-based haemodialysis. The findings indicated that the experience of waiting was significant for the participants in the study. The participants' accounts illustrated that they spent a lot of time waiting when they attended haemodialysis therapy. The experience of waiting culminated in boredom for the participants. We suggest that the boredom illustrated within the participants' accounts depicts the perspective of boredom portrayed by the existential writers Martin Heidegger and Samuel Beckett. Consequently, this paper describes how the existential conceptualisation of boredom advanced by both writers, provides new insights on the perceptions of haemodialysis therapy, illustrated by the part...

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