Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is an ideal method for the treatment of chronic kidney disease. Its survival rate and quality of life depend on the quality of dialysis. The quality of dialysis depends on the compliance of patients with drugs and dialysis treatment, the choice of diet, the detection of complications and the monitoring and management of the disease. Therefore, the self-management of PD patients is particularly important. This study explored the role of peer support in improving the self-management ability of PD patients.
Methods: A total of 105 PD patients in a Chinese tertiary hospital were enrolled and divided into a control group (35 cases), a WeChat group (intervention group 1; 35 cases), and a face-to-face group (intervention group 2; 35 cases). During the 6-month follow-up, the control group were given individualized education, and the intervention group was given peer support.
Results: After the 6-month intervention, the self-management ability of the intervention group was significantly different from that of the control group (P<0.01). There were significant differences between the WeChat group and the face-to-face group with respect to hemoglobin and blood phosphorus (P<0.05). There were significant differences in prealbumin, hemoglobin, blood phosphorus and calcium levels between the intervention and control groups after 3 months and 6 months of intervention (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Peer support can effectively improve the self-management ability and biochemical indicators in PD patients.
Keywords: Peer support; peritoneal dialysis; self-management ability.