From silence to storm – patient illness trajectory from diabetes diagnosis to haemodialysis in Taiwan: a qualitative study of patients' perceptions

Aims This article is a report of a study that explored the perceptions of patients as they experienced their diabetes illness trajectory, and their initial decisions to undergo dialysis, in an effort to provide further complementary guidance for nurses and healthcare practitioners. Background Diabetes leads to higher morbidity and mortality when patients develop renal failure resulting from diabetic nephropathy. An effective self‐care regimen and multidisciplinary team approach are required to avoid or delay the serious chronic complications of the disease. Patients and healthcare practitioners must be aware therefore of psycho‐physiological adjustment when seeking to delay the onset of complications. Design A qualitative design was used for data collection through semi‐structured interviews. Method Data were analysed using content analysis. Participants were 25 diabetes patients undergoing initial haemodialysis who were recruited from diabetes and nephrology wards at a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Data were collected from December 2010–August 2011. Findings The core theme describing the illness trajectory derived from face‐to‐face interviews with people undergoing hemodialysis was ‘from silence to storm’. There emerged also five phases of patient experience that resulted from the development of diabetic nephropathy: (1) diabetes onset stage; (2) stable stage; (3) burden stage; (4) shock stage; and (5) coping stage. Conclusions Patients suffer with diabetic nephropathy for a long‐term period. Our findings may enhance the understanding of nurses regarding the experiences of patients with diabetic nephropathy, and will help them provide diabetes care that promotes healthy life for those individuals.