Patients’ perceptions of their experience, control and knowledge of fluid management when receiving haemodialysis

Background: Person-centred care is increasingly promoted, empowering patients to become more involved in their treatment rather than being passive recipients of care (Barnes et al.). Haemodialysis is typically required three times a week, with fluid management decision-making occurring at each treatment session (Ahmed et al.). However, no research has yet explored how haemodialysis patients’ perceptions of their fluid management may impact upon this decision-making. Objectives: This study sought to explore patients’ perceptions of their fluid management. Method: Design, Participants & Approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 patients undergoing in-hospital haemodialysis treatment. These were digitally recorded one-to-one interviews to allow for verbatim transcription. The data was analysed by thematic analysis, generating thematic patterns across patients’ experiences, control and knowledge of their fluid management. Results: Five themes were produced: determining who has the expertise, impediments affecting patients’ lifestyle, additional difficulty of experiencing comorbidities, perceived quality of care, and establishing consistency. Conclusions: Despite varied levels of patient participation in their treatment, overall there appears to be a limited understanding of specific areas of fluid management. The implications for further research and the development of shared-care are discussed