Experiences of parents of children undergoing peritoneal dialysis

The research was conducted as a qualitative study to determine the experiences of parents of children undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Research data were collected through individual interviews with parents of children admitted to the Pediatric Nephrology Department of Mersin University Hospital between February and July 2025. The "Introductory Information Form" and the "Semi-Structured Interview Form" were used to collect the data. The qualitative results obtained were coded, themes were created, and the relationship between codes and subcodes was analyzed using the MAXQDA 22 analysis program. The mean age of the parents included in the study was 40.62±6.52. Based on the qualitative data, six themes and 45 codes were obtained: parents' thoughts about peritoneal dialysis, feelings about peritoneal dialysis, physical difficulties, treatment and care process, family process, and the child's school life. It was found that parents experienced physical, psychological, economic, and social difficulties due to the high care burden of children undergoing peritoneal dialysis. In line with these results, pediatric nurses should increase compliance with the care process and empower parents by providing care, education, and psychosocial support to parents of children undergoing peritoneal dialysis.