Illness Representations and Coping Processes of Taiwanese Patients With Early-Stage Chronic Kidney Disease

• Published in: The journal of nursing research Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 120 - 128
• Main Authors: Lin, Chiu-Chu, Chen, Mei-Chun, Hsieh, Hsiu-Fang, Chang, Shu-Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: China (Republic : 1949- ) Taiwan Nurses Association 01.06.2013
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Aged; Cohort Studies; Complementary Therapies - methods; Early Diagnosis; Female; Health Behavior; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Kidney Failure, Chronic - physiopathology; Kidney Failure, Chronic - psychology; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Life Style; Male; Middle Aged; Nursing; Professional-Patient Relations; Qualitative Research; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Social Perception; Taiwan; Trust; Taiwan
• ISSN: 1682-3141; 1948-965X
• DOI: 10.1097/jnr.0b013e3182921fb8

BACKGROUND:Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a public health problem worldwide with an increasing incidence and prevalence and high cost. The role of illness perceptions in understanding health-related behavior has received little attention in patients with early-stage CKD. PURPOSE:This qualitative study aimed to describe the illness representation and coping process experience of patients with early-stage CKD in Taiwan. METHODS:A qualitative content analysis approach was used to analyze semistructured, open-ended, one-on-one interviews with 15 patients with early-stage CKD. Purposive sampling was used to recruit patients diagnosed with early-stage CKD from the nephrology departments of two medical centers in Taiwan. Trustworthiness of the study was evaluated using four criteria suggested by Lincoln and Guba. RESULTS:Six themes emerged from the analysisexperiencing early symptoms, self-interpreting the causes of having CKD, realizing CKD as a long-term disease, believing CKD could be controlled by following doctors’ orders, anticipating the consequences of having CKD, and adopting coping strategies to delay the progress of CKD. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE:Findings from this study compared with previous studies reveal that education can effectively change patient illness representations as an approach to improve coping behavior. This finding offers healthcare professionals insight into the health education necessary to assess patient illness representation to provide culturally sensitive interventions.