The effect of acceptance of illness in hemodialysis patients on comfort level

This study was conducted to determine the effect of acceptance of illness in hemodialysis patients on their comfort level. This cross-sectional study was conducted in a private dialysis centre in Antalya, Turkey between the dates of 13.04.2021 and 03.06.2021. 166 individuals who underwent hemodialysis treatment were included in the study. Data was collected using the Patient Evaluation Form, Acceptance of Illness Scale and Comfort Rating Scale. Number, percentage, t test, ANOVA, Levene test for homogeneity of variance, Tamhan's T2 test, Bonferroni test and Pearson Correlation analysis were used for statistical evaluation. Significance level was set at p<0.05. In the study, the mean age of the individuals was 61.36±14.14; 63.9% of the individuals were male, 47% were elementary school graduate, and 73.5% were married. Hemodialysis treatment duration of the individuals was 37.45±55.04 months. The study found that 91% of the individuals received hemodialysis treatment three times a week; 79.5% of the individuals had other chronic diseases, 50% received support for their care and 81% of the individuals had training on hemodialysis treatment. The mean score in the Acceptance of Illness Scale was 22.20±8.65 and the mean score in the Comfort Rating Scale was 129.27±13.94. A statistically significant relationship was found between patients' education level, income level and availability of support for care and the mean scores in the Acceptance of Illness Scale. A positive relationship was found between the relaxation dimension mean scores of the individuals who received hemodialysis treatment two times a week. A statistically significant relationship was found between hemodialysis treatment duration of individuals and the mean scores in the Acceptance of Illness Scale and Comfort Rating Scale. A positive relationship was found between acceptance of illness and comfort level of individuals included in the study and in the study as the level of acceptance of illness increased, comfort level also increased. Keywords: Hemodialysis treatment, patient, acceptance of ıllness, comfort level