BACKGROUND

Chronic kidney disease has become a significant global public health burden due to its increasing incidence, prevalence, and impact on quality of life. Worldwide, conservative management, kidney transplantation, and renal replacement therapy are employed to manage chronic kidney disease. However, in Ghana, conservative management and hemodialysis predominate, focusing on prolonging life while neglecting other supportive care needs. This study explored nurses' knowledge of kidney supportive care and the measures they adopt to identify and manage the psychological needs of patients with chronic kidney disease.

METHODS

Exploratory descriptive qualitative design was employed. Eighteen nurses from a tertiary hospital dialysis unit in Ghana were purposively recruited. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semistructured guide, and thematic analysis was performed using Braun and Clarke's six-step qualitative data analysis method.

RESULTS

Nurses' practices were categorized into two main themes: awareness and emotional/psychological practices. The Awareness theme comprised five subthemes: expert communication, interdisciplinary teams, symptom management, realities, and management challenges. The emotional/psychological practices theme included three subthemes: establishing relationships, identifying needs, and addressing psychological issues.

CONCLUSION

The study revealed that while nurses in Ghanaian dialysis units possess some awareness of kidney support care, their practices are primarily centered on prolonging life rather than addressing holistic patient needs. Psychological and emotional support for chronic kidney disease patients is often informal and lacks structured guidelines. Limited resources and interdisciplinary collaboration hinder comprehensive kidney support care implementation. Strengthening nurses' knowledge and integrating formal psychological support frameworks are crucial for improving patient-centred care in chronic disease management.