A qualitative follow-up on perceptions of energy management education and daily life by individuals with fatigue undergoing hemodialysis treatment.

INTRODUCTION

People on chronic hemodialysis identify fatigue and its negative impact on their life participation (i.e., ability to accomplish valued daily occupations) as central to their illness experience. We explored how fatigue, as experienced by people on hemodialysis, shaped their participation in daily occupations, and participants' experiences in the Personal Energy Planning programme.

METHOD

This qualitative follow-up study to a pilot randomized controlled trial used an interpretive description approach with six participants who completed an energy management programme for people treated with hemodialysis in Calgary, Canada. Each participant completed one semistructured interview about their experiences with fatigue management, life participation and the programme. Data were analyzed using modified constant comparative analysis.

FINDINGS

Participants described moving from an illness experience to one of living, where they could envision participation in both activities of daily living and social leisure occupations. Participants also described how they felt supported by the programme with its focus on applying the learning from the programme to improve their participation.

CONCLUSION

Fatigue has an extensive impact on various facets of life participation. For people treated with hemodialysis, the reconstruction of their occupational lives can be enabled through energy management education programmes focused on the development of personal metacognitive strategies.