Preventive Care in Nursing and Midwifery Journal

Background and Objectives: Promoting illness perception could improve quality of life in hemodialysis patients. According to the high rates of renal diseases and hemodialysis in Iran, and importance of illness perception in these patients, this study assessed the effect of an illness perception promoting intervention on quality of life of hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial, 71 hemodialysis patients were randomly allocated into two control (n=33) and intervention (n=38) groups. The patients in the intervention group received the illness perception intervention through 45-minute sessions per week for six weeks. Eight weeks later, patients in both groups completed the post test questionnaire of quality of life (KDQOL-SFTM). This questionnaire is reliable and valid for Iranian population. Results: Although the illness perception promoting intervention could enhance the quality of life of patients in dimensions of job situation, dialysis staff encouragement, physical role, pain, public health and emotional role, there were only significant differences between the two groups in job situation (p=0.04) and emotional role (p=0.03) dimensions on the patlents' satisfaction from rules and regulations and the teaching methods (P<0.05). Conclusion: Illness perception promotion interventions can improve only limited dimensions of the quality of life in hemodialysis patients. Further studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of illness perception promoting intervention on quality of life.