부산대학교 도서관

Psychosocial factors related to initiating hemodialysis (HD) can inhibit a patient's ability to absorb important information, which may have far-reaching impact on patients' health and wellbeing. Anecdotally, the authors noticed an enhanced ability for patients to respond to the transition to HD if they had previously visited the unit prior to their first treatment, which warranted further investigation. Hence, a qualitative design research project was developed to ascertain if a priming interview, which comprised screening questionnaires and content analysis of patient interviews prior to and four weeks after the start of HD, would improve the experience for patients who are new to HD. Ultimately, a new patient orientation including a priming process in this study was found to be beneficial for both patients and healthcare professionals. Following this research, our hospital formalized a priming process for all chronic patients with planned starts onto HD.