title: Needs, concerns, strategies, and advice of daily home hemodialysis caregivers.
abstract: Improved patient outcomes have led to increased international interest in daily home hemodialysis as a kidney replacement therapy. Daily home hemodialysis often requires the assistance of a caregiver during and between treatments. Understanding the needs and concerns of caregivers of persons on daily home hemodialysis will inform the design of supportive interventions to improve caregiver retention and maintain their health and well-being. Using a descriptive qualitative design, the purpose of this study was to identify and describe the needs, concerns, strategies, and advice of family caregivers. Twenty-one caregivers were interviewed; five of these individuals were former caregivers of patients who had returned to outpatient hemodialysis. Data were collected via audio-recorded telephone interviews following a semistructured interview guide with five open-ended questions. A content analysis approach was used to code and analyze the data. Caregivers described needs, concerns, and strategies and offered advice in five predetermined major categories. Major findings included a need for respite services and a need for interventions to manage the emotional responses to caregiving. This study provides valuable information about relevant areas to consider when developing an intervention program for daily home hemodialysis caregivers.
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA jwelch@iupui.edu.
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Welch
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas-Hawkins
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Tamilyn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bakas
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: McLennon
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Nursing, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Doris M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Byers
authors.affiliation: Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Catherine J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Monetti
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: Brian S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Decker
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006437:Hemodialysis, Home / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012144:Respite Care
keywords: caregiving; hemodialysis