Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana
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....
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2025-06-01
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| Series: | SAGE Open Nursing |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251350750 |
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| author | Joana Akpakli Addo RN, MSc Vivian Efua Senoo-Dogbey RN, MPH, PhD |
| author_facet | Joana Akpakli Addo RN, MSc Vivian Efua Senoo-Dogbey RN, MPH, PhD |
| author_sort | Joana Akpakli Addo RN, MSc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e1fd8dd4a64e4674b2a9601e4640cb5b |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2377-9608 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open Nursing |
| spelling | doaj-art-e1fd8dd4a64e4674b2a9601e4640cb5b2025-08-20T02:36:49ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open Nursing2377-96082025-06-011110.1177/23779608251350750Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in GhanaJoana Akpakli Addo RN, MSc0Vivian Efua Senoo-Dogbey RN, MPH, PhD1 Faculty of Nephrology Nursing, Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Accra, Ghana , Accra, GhanaBackground 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.https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251350750 |
| spellingShingle | Joana Akpakli Addo RN, MSc Vivian Efua Senoo-Dogbey RN, MPH, PhD Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana SAGE Open Nursing |
| title | Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana |
| title_full | Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana |
| title_short | Exploring Nurses’ Supportive Care Practices for Managing Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in a Tertiary Care Facility in Ghana |
| title_sort | exploring nurses supportive care practices for managing patients with chronic kidney disease ckd in a tertiary care facility in ghana |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251350750 |
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