Educational interventions for improved diet and fluid management in haemodialysis patients: An interventional study.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of education provided by the nurse on the knowledge and behaviours of haemodialysis patients about dietary and fluid restrictions.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at five publicly funded dialysis centres located in Istanbul Province, Turkey, in 2014, and comprised dialysis patients and controls. Data was collected using the Scale for Dietary Knowledge in Haemodialysis Patients and the Scale for Dietary Behaviours in Haemodialysis Patients. The dietary education was given to the intervention group. SPSS 20 was used for data analysis.

Results: Of the 80 patients, there were 40(50%) in each group. The overall mean age was 64.12±55.50 years, and 42(52.5 %) of the participants were male. After the education provided to the intervention group, the dietary knowledge and behaviours' post-test scores significantly increased compared to the pre-test scores, and the serum sodium level, pre-dialysis weight gain and diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased (p<0.05 each). Between the intervention and control groups, a significant difference was found between the pre-test and post-test in serum sodium levels (p<0.05).

Conclusions: The education provided by the nurse had a positive effect on the knowledge and behaviour of haemodialysis patients about dietary and fluid restrictions.