Perceptions of illness in Hemodialysis Patients in the Reproductive Age Group: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background:The prevalence of hemodialysis patients continues to increase, especially in the productive age group, where these individuals are important contributors to the workforce. To prevent morbidity and mortality, perception is needed, especially about patient characteristics. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between patient perceptions of disease and related characteristics in hemodialysis patients in the productive age group. Methods: This research is a cross-sectional quantitative study that involved 191 purposively sampled respondents. Data collection utilized a questionnaire encompassing demographic information, and patients' perceptions of their illness were evaluated through the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ). The analysis employed the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis H tests, with the significance level set at p<0.05. Results: The findings indicated an average perception value of 58.53 ± 8.455. A significant relationship exists between the perception of hemodialysis patients and variables such as age, gender, education level, occupation, duration of hemodialysis, and comorbidities (p<0.05). Conclusion: Because characteristics are related to the formation of perceptions, health professionals, especially nurses, must apply a personalized approach to effectively shape positive patient perceptions. This tailored approach must take into account individual characteristics due to the diversity of patient needs.