The fatigue experience of haemodialysis patients in Taiwan

Abstract

Aims and objectives: To expand the theoretical understanding of fatigue, this study used in-depth interview to explore the fatigue experience from haemodialysis patients' perspectives.

Background: Fatigue is a common symptom experienced by the people with chronic diseases including those with renal failure requiring haemodialysis.

Methods: Data were collected in a haemodialysis unit of a hospital in South Taiwan. Purposive samples of 14 participants were interviewed in-depth. Colaizzi's methods were used to analyse transcripts of the interviews.

Results: Ten themes were delineated and classified into three domains. The first domain 'physical fatigue' consists of four themes: (1) habitual fatigue, (2) experiencing the uraemic symptoms (3) suffering from sleeping disturbance, (4) insufficient physical energy. The second domain 'affective fatigue' contains three themes: (5) detesting long-term treatment, (6) perceiving depression (7) and feeling exhausted. The third domain 'cognitive fatigue' includes three themes: (8) regretting lost cognition, (9) intentional isolation and (10) coping with fatigue.

Conclusions: The findings identify that fatigue is a multi-dimensional concept. By understanding the various aspects of fatigue, nurses may be better able to plan and provide fatigue-relieving strategies for haemodialysis patients.

Relevance to clinical practice: The results can provide a direction for interventional studies designed to reduce the patients' fatigue.