Effect of self-care agency on symptoms in patients on peritoneal dialysis

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate physical symptoms in patients on peritoneal dialysis treatment and to determine the relationship between the socio-demographic features affecting the symptoms and the disease and self-care. Methods: The sample of this descriptive study included 120 patients who were followed in the peritoneal dialysis clinic of 2 hospitals in the center of Trabzon. The data were collected using the “patient information form,” “The Dialysis Symptom Index (DSI),” and “The Self-Care Agency Scale for Chronic Dialysis Patients.” Results: In this study, 60.8% of the participants were women. The most common symptom (64.2%) was constipation. There was a significant difference in the mean DSI score between the patients supported during dialysis and those who were not and the mean DSI score was higher in the patients supported during dialysis (P < .05). In addition, there was a significant difference in terms of the mean self-care agency score between the patients supported during dialysis and the patients who were not. Contrary to the DSI mean score, the mean self-care agency score was higher in patients who were not supported during dialysis (P < .05). A significant negative correlation was found between self-care agency and DSI (r = −0.288, P < .01). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that patients lacking self-care agency have to cope with both more symptoms and more severe symptoms.