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Haemodialysis: the effects of using the empowerment concept during the development of a mutual‐support group in Taiwan
Author(s) -
Chen YuChi,
Pai JuiSheng,
Li IChuan
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of clinical nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.94
H-Index - 102
eISSN - 1365-2702
pISSN - 0962-1067
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02186.x
Subject(s) - empowerment , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , intervention (counseling) , social support , mutual aid , physical therapy , psychology , nursing , social psychology , political science , law
Aims and objective. To determine the effectiveness of using the empowerment concept during the development of a mutual‐help group for haemodialysis. Background. Haemodialysis has different impacts on patients' physical, psychological and social health. The effects of mutual‐support group have been found in groups of chronic disease patients. However, none of them were for haemodialysis patients. Design. An intervention‐evaluation design was used for this study. The intervention process was divided into four phases: (1) assessment, (2) planning, (3) action and (4) evaluation/feedback. As part of this study, a mutual‐help group was formed that met eight times for group activities over a three‐month study period. Results. There were three indicators of empowerment outcomes. Physical symptoms decreased significantly after the patients had participated in the mutual‐help group ( z = −2·893, p < 0·05), especially symptoms such as itchy skin, insomnia and spasms. In terms of the patients’ social network and social functions, social support increased significantly ( z = −3·412, p < 0·05). The total score for the patients’ quality of life also showed a significant improvement ( z = −3·408, p < 0·05) with the emotional and health dimensions improving the most. Conclusion. This study provides evidence that supports the use of mutual‐help groups as a means of aiding patients with chronic illness to cope with their illness. Mutual‐help groups are a necessary future direction in nursing that will improve the quality of health care for patients’ with chronic illness. Relevance to clinical practice. The study found that a mutual‐help group not only can improve patient's illness adaptability, but also brought about a range of other empowerment outcomes. It also had many positive impacts for the hospital. Therefore, it will be beneficial for the patients with a chronic illness if health care professionals can be sensitive to relevant factors and construct mutual‐support groups based on the empowerment concept.