Social support and self-management among end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND

Self-management is the latest multidisciplinary intervention that empowers end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients to be active in maintaining their health status. The implementation of self-management among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis in Indonesia remains relatively low, contributing to the high prevalence of complications and morbidity. The social cognitive theory proposes that social support is one of the environmental factors affecting health behavior change. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between social support and self-management among ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis in Indonesia.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 ESRD patients selected by consecutive sampling. Data were collected online from four chronic kidney disease communities in Indonesia in June 2020. Medical Outcome Study Social Support Survey and Hemodialysis Self-Management Instrument were used to measure patients' functional social support and self-management levels. Statistical analysis using the Chi-square test was applied to evaluate the association between social support and self-management.

RESULTS

More than half of the patients had high social support (51%) and good self-management (53%). There was a significant relationship between social support and self-management (p = 0.027; α = 0.05; odds ratio 95% CI = 2.386).  Conclusions: Social support is a potential environmental factor that can be modified to enhance health behavior change among ESRD patients in Indonesia, with the specific behavior being self-management. This study recommends functional social support as an integral part of self-management intervention provided through cooperation between health workers, chronic kidney disease community, and patient companions.