WAITING FOR RENAL TRANSPLANT: COPING OF HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Patients diagnosed with chronic renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy undergo a lifestyle change, accepting their new condition with uncertainties and anxieties. When transplantation is presented as an additional therapeutic option, not associated with a cure but offering an improvement in quality of life and independence from a machine for survival, significant anxieties, insecurities, and frustrations are observed. Nursing plays a crucial role in health education during this period due to its active involvement in chronic kidney disease treatment. Objective: To investigate and comprehend the anxiety experienced by chronic renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis who are on the waiting list for renal transplantation. Methodology: This is a qualitative research study that initially involved an active bibliographic search to gather information on the subject. To collect data and address the proposed objectives, a semi-structured interview conducted by the researcher was employed. Data were collected in November 2023 from 15 dialysis patients at the hemodialysis clinic in the Vassouras University Hospital. Results: The observed results highlight the anxiety and fear experienced by patients while awaiting transplantation. Conclusion: Patients undergoing hemodialysis and awaiting transplantation experience various emotions, such as fear and anxiety about their future, placing all their hopes on transplantation as a potential cure and a chance to be “free” from the machine.