Body Images of Chronic Renal Failure Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Abstract

Chronic kidney failure is a progressive and irreversible kidney damage in which there is an occurrence of being unable to transport the body’s metabolic waste or its regular functions, thus requiring hemodialysis therapy. Hemodialysis causes changes in body image such as physical weakness, nausea, vomiting, balance disorders, increased levels of uremic in the blood, muscle aches, and edema. This study aims to determine the body image of patients with chronic kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis. A descriptive quantitative research design was carried out in the Indonesian dialysis patient community (KPCD) Pekanbaru, the sample of this study was 49 respondents using a total sampling technique. The measuring instrument used was a questionnaire body image variable from previous research. The analysis used was descriptive with a univariate test. The results showed that 57.1% of respondents had disturbed body images and 42.9% of respondents had undisturbed body images. It means that hemodialysis patients need nursing intervention to reduce disturbed body image. Keywords: body image, hemodialysis, renal failure