The Effectiveness of an Educational Intervention on Fatigue in Hemodialysis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Fatigue is considered as a major problem in hemodialysis patients and can impair their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of educational nursing intervention on fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Materials and Methods: Quasi-experimental research design was conducted in the Hemodialysis Unit at Public Fayoum Hospital. The data were collected from eighteen hemodialysis patients of both sex randomized selected who corresponded to inclusion criteria and divided into two groups: Experimental and control group (40 subjects fulfilling the inclusion criteria assigned to each group). The measures included the form of sociodemographic characteristics, and Piper Fatigue Scale. Patients in the experimental group received early intervention, while patients in the control group received routine hospital care. Results: The results of the research showed that significant differences in the total mean score of fatigue in the experimental and control groups after participation in the program (P < 0.001). Also there are significantly statistically between age, gender, duration of disease and frequency of dialysis and level of fatigue (p<0.05). Conclusion: Early intervention protocol leads to improve knowledge related to side effect of hemodialysis e.g. fatigue and reduce fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, use of this non-pharmacologic technique for hemodialysis nurses is suggested.