Adhesion of elderly people with chronic renal insufficiency to hemodialysis therapy

Abstract

Aim: to identify factors that influence adherence of elderly people to hemodialysis treatment. Methodology: descriptive research with a quantitative approach, with 81 elderly patients in a hemodialysis clinic in the Northeast of Brazil. Data were collected from January to March, 2014 and analyzed through descriptive statistics. Results: women accounted for 50.6% of the elderly studied. The majority had between two to three years on hemodialysis (51.9%). Interdialytic weight gain varied from 1 to 6 kilos, most of the subjects (86.4) were assiduous at the hemodialysis sessions in the last six months. Regarding the aspects that negatively influence adherence to hemodialysis treatment, difficulty to travel, followed by puncture pain and bruising in the arteriovenous fistula member were referred by the subjects. Conclusion: the identification of factors that influence the adherence of elderly people to hemodialysis should support the development of educational nursing actions involving the patients and their families.