THE EFFECT OF SPIRITUAL CARE PROGRAM ON TREATMENT ADHERENCE OF PATIENTS UNDERGOING HEMODIALYSIS

Non-adherence to treatment in chronic diseases, especially in hemodialysis patients, is still a challenge that requires effective nursing interventions. This study was conducted to determine the effect of the spiritual care program on the adherence to treatment of hemodialysis patients.

This study is a two-group randomized clinical trial study with a pre-test-post-test design conducted on hemodialysis patients referred to the hemodialysis departments of Urmia City hospitals in the second half of 2023. The study comprises two groups: a control group and an intervention group, each receiving routine care. For patients in the intervention group, the spiritual care program consisted of four one-hour sessions conducted individually and twice a week after hemodialysis in a suitable room in the hemodialysis department. In order to collect data, the questionnaires of patients' demographic information and The End-Stage Renal Disease Adherence Questionnaire (ESRD-AQ) (Kim et al., 2010) were used before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests with SPSS version 22 statistical software.

The two groups were homogeneous and not statistically significantly different regarding demographic characteristics. The mean score of patients' adherences to treatment was 678.37 ± 85.62 before the intervention in the intervention group, and it was 682.69 ± 107.62 in the control group, which had no statistically significant difference (P=0.848). After the intervention, it reached 897.97 ± 139.98 in the intervention group and 694.87 ± 104.21 in the control group. The difference between the two groups was significant (p<0.001) and improved in the intervention group.

The study's findings demonstrate the effectiveness of the spiritual care program in improving adherence to treatment among hemodialysis patients. This underscores the recommendation that nurses in hemodialysis wards focus on nursing interventions and incorporate the spiritual care program into their patient care plans.