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A potential barrier to adherence? Memory for future intentions is impaired in hemodialysis patients
Author(s) -
Jones Daniel J. W.,
Harris John P.,
Butler Laurie T.,
Vaux Emma C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
hemodialysis international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.658
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1542-4758
pISSN - 1492-7535
DOI - 10.1111/hdi.12789
Subject(s) - hemodialysis , prospective memory , medicine , mood , cognition , comorbidity , end stage renal disease , prospective cohort study , effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance , quality of life (healthcare) , disease , affect (linguistics) , retrospective memory , episodic memory , clinical psychology , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , psychology , nursing , communication , childhood memory
End‐stage renal disease (ESRD) has been associated with a range of cognitive deficits, including impaired retrospective memory and attention. Prospective memory (PM) is memory for future intentions, such as remembering to take medication on time. Prospective memory has not been examined in any ESRD patients; yet, the implications upon diet and medication management could potentially have detrimental effects on patient welfare. This is the first study to examine PM in ESRD patients being treated with hemodialysis (HD). Methods Hemodialysis patients (n = 18) were compared with age‐matched and education‐matched controls (n = 18) on a boardgame task that emulates a typical week of activities (i.e., grocery shopping, meetings with friends), requiring the participant to remember a series of upcoming tasks. Other measures were also examined, including general cognitive decline, measures of independent living, IQ, and mood. Findings Patients recalled significantly fewer upcoming events than the control group, suggesting an impairment of PM. No significant relationship was found between PM performance and any other measures, suggesting the difference between groups is likely due to the effects of ESRD, HD treatment, or some associated comorbidity. Discussion This is the first study to demonstrate a PM deficit in patients undergoing HD treatment. This finding contributes to the current knowledge of the cognitive profile of patients undergoing HD while also highlighting the implications that a PM deficit may have on patient quality of life. The finding may go some way to explaining variances in patients' ability to monitor and adhere to medication and dietary regimes and, ultimately, to live independently. The study also highlights the necessity of viewing treatment for ESRD as a holistic process to maximize patient well‐being.