Lived Experiences of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Receiving Hemodialysis in Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose. Chronic kidney disease is a challenging disease and global public health problem. The burden of chronic kidney disease and hemodialysis is increasing in Ethiopia, but few studies explored the lived experiences of chronic kidney disease patients receiving hemodialysis. This study explored the lived experiences of chronic kidney disease patients receiving hemodialysis, in the Felege Hiwot Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Bahir Dar City, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. A phenomenological study design was conducted with 12 chronic kidney disease patients receiving hemodialysis between September 1 and October 30, 2019. A purposive sampling technique was used to select participants, and a semistructured in-depth interview guide was used to collect the data. The investigators audio-taped the interviews and then transcribed them verbatim. Finally, the transcribed data were imported to Atlas.ti™-7 software for coding, and then, thematic analysis was done. Transferability, dependability, credibility, and conformability were embedded to ensure data quality. Results. In this study, six major themes were emerged: (1) the seriousness of the disease, (2) challenges to get hemodialysis, (3) financial constraint, (4) restricted life, (5) feeling of dependency, and (6) psychological impacts. Conclusion. The restrictive nature of the disease affects a participant’s financial status which makes it challenging to obtain the service and increases feelings of dependency. These circumstances impact the psychology of the participants. We would recommend that every patient with hemodialysis needs social and psychological support. We would also recommend the need to extend the study to other areas of the country to confirm or disconfirm the findings.

The Lived Experience of Middle-Aged Saudi Patients With End-Stage Chronic Renal Disease on Hemodialysis Treatment

“…It was challenging to find similar results in the literature because most studies that have investigated the lived experience of hemodialysis patients have not addressed governmental support. However, findings from studies by Sousa et al (2021) and Tadesse et al (2021) suggest that hemodialysis patients faced financial problems from losing their jobs and the cost of the procedure and medical insurance, indicating that participants did not receive any support from their governments.…”

What are the qualitative experiences of people affected by kidney failure receiving haemodialysis?

“…The feeling of dependence upon their fistula graft and the HD machine for treatment was difficult for some people to accept as they felt they had no alternative but to continue with HD treatment (Frontini et al, 2021; Moore et al, 2020; Sousa et al, 2021). Some people felt living with kidney failure and receiving HD was worse than other diseases and some forms cancers as they felt they were on borrowed time with no chance of living a individual normal life (Sousa, Ribeiro, Costa et al, 2021; Sousa, Ribeiro, Figueiredo, 2021; Tadesse et al, 2021).…”

“…They articulated that this placed a significant strain on their own levels of health and well‐being (De Silva et al, 2021). Many people receiving HD realised the pressure that caring for them entails and felt deep empathy for the sacrifice their carer had made in caring for them (Moore et al, 2020; Tadesse et al, 2021). However, some families embraced the challenge of providing care to their family member and accepted their caregiver role with pride and courage, and as an essential part of being in a marital/family network with those who they loved (Ghaffari et al, 2019; Monaro et al, 2014; Onbe et al, 2013).…”

Factors affecting access to dialysis for patients with end‐stage kidney disease in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A scoping review

“…Greater Accra region is home to most of Ghana's 65 (63.1%) haemodialysis machines, where just half of the regions have access to any kind of dialysis facility (Tannor et al, 2018). Poor health infrastructure and difficulty in accessibility to dialysis facilities impede access and other medical appointments in Sub-Saharan Africa (Bello et al, 2018;Ekuma, 2018;Meremo et al, 2017;Odette Dorcas et al, 2018;Tadesse et al, 2021).…”