| Theme |
Nursing care for dialysis patients having difficulty in body weight control |
| Title |
Support of salt restriction in elderly dialysis patients |
| Author |
Rie Sekine |
Department of Nursing, Hitachi General Hospital, Hitachi, Ltd. |
| Author |
Atsushi Ueda |
Department of Nephrology, Hitachi General Hospital, Hitachi, Ltd. |
| [ Summary ] |
The management of salt intake is particularly important for hemodialysis patients, because dietary salt intake results in interdialytic weight gain. We conducted a step-by-step, goal setting intervention for salt restriction in elderly patients who had received hemodialysis for approximately one year and exhibited increased weight gain along with decreased urine volume. As a result, these patients and their families developed and maintained behavioral changes to help them reduce salt intake. In terms of nursing practice, it was found that this intervention followed the "six-step nursing process model" introduced by Kamiya. Lifestyle changes are believed to be difficult for elderly patients to achieve and maintain. The present study demonstrates that it is important to identify patients' problems and promote their motivation to make changes. This model based nursing intervention is an effective approach to support the self-management of elderly patients. |