Acta Médica del Centro (Oct 2020)
Intervention strategy to improve quality of life for primary caregivers of hemodialysis patients
Abstract
Introduction: chronic kidney disease causes changes that affect the life of the patient and the family system. The hemodialysis treatment and the associated complications make the patient require systematic attention not only from the health team, but also from the main caregiver, a situation that with time causes a deterioration of the caregiver's health that affects his or her quality of life. Objective: to design an intervention strategy to improve the quality of life of the main caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Methods: a qualitative-quantitative intervention study was carried out; descriptive, longitudinal and prospective, in the Hemodialysis Service of the “Arnaldo Milian Castro” Hospital in Villa Clara, in the triennium 2016-2019. The sample was made up of 63 caregivers who met the selection criteria. Results: most of the main caregivers were women from 40 to 59 years old, spouses, with an employment relationship. A moderate level of self-transcendence predominated in 65.08% of the caregivers, and among the dimensions most affected by their quality of life are emotions and behavior (24, 64.8%), followed by changes in physical appearance (21, 56.6%), some have affected rest, sleep and social life (15, 40.5%). Conclusions: the integration of Pamela Reed's theory and Betty Neuman's systems model constituted a useful theoretical support that allowed designing a nursing intervention strategy aimed at improving the quality of life and satisfaction of the main caregivers of hemodialysis patients.