Interventions to promote self-care of people with arteriovenous fistula

Abstract

Aims and objectives: The literature shows many self-care behaviours related to people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Our aim is to identify interventions within the 'teaching' that promote self-care (behaviour) with arteriovenous fistula (AVF).

Background: The development of self-care behaviours with the AVF allows the access to maintain the best possible conditions, because its state influences the efficacy of the dialysis treatment. However, few studies assess self-care behaviours that people with ESRD have with the AVF, as well as interventions that promote this self-care.

Design: Discursive paper.

Methods: Our research was conducted in MEDLINE, Health Nursing and Allied Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science and SCOPUS using three search expressions, between the period of 2000-2010. We selected studies that identified interventions that promote self-care with AVF.

Results: No study has shown in detail the interventions that aimed at promoting self-care behaviours with the AVF for patients with ESRD. We verify that the interventions that promote self-care are directed mostly to the moments after AVF construction.

Conclusions: This paper reinforces the need to develop guidelines that provide guidance for self-care with the AVF to be developed by people with ESRD. We also found that self-care behaviours directed to the AVF are mostly associated with postconstruction of the access.

Relevance to clinical practice: Based on these results, it is necessary to delineate clear intervention programmes and objectives, in order to assess self-care with the AVF by people with ESRD, as well as to develop guidelines that provide guidance for self-care for the person with an AVF.

Keywords: arteriovenous fistula; haemodialysis; self-care; vascular access.