Patients’ perceptions of their experience, control and knowledge of fluid management when receiving haemodialysis

Background: Person-centred care is increasingly promoted, empowering patients to become more involved in their treatment rather than being passive recipients of care (Barnes et al. 2013). Haemodialysis is typically required three times a week, with fluid management decision-making occurring at each treatment session (Ahmed et al. 2017). However, no research has yet explored how haemodialysis patients’ perceptions of their fluid management may impact upon this decision-making. Objectives: This study sought to explore patients’ perceptions of their fluid management. Method: Design, Participants & Approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 patients undergoing in-hospital haemodialysis treatment. These were digitally recorded one-to-one interviews to allow for verbatim transcription. The data was analysed by thematic analysis, generating thematic patterns across patients’ experiences, control and knowledge of their fluid management. Results: Five themes were produced: determining who has the expertise, impediments affecting patients’ lifestyle, additional difficulty of experiencing comorbidities, perceived quality of care, and establishing consistency. Conclusions: Despite varied levels of patient participation in their treatment, overall there appears to be a limited understanding of specific areas of fluid management. The implications for further research and the development of shared-care are discussed.