The effects of the symptoms that hemodialysis patients are experiencing on the patients comfort level

The Effects of the Symptoms that Hemodialysis Patients are Experiencing on the Patients' Comfort Level Purpose: This research has been conducted with the intent of defining the effect of the symptoms that hemodialysis patients are experiencing, on their comfort levels. Material and Method: This research has been conducted as cross-sectional. Target population of the research consists of 430 hemodialysis patients, aged 18 and older, who are being treated in the hemodialysis units of Hospital of Fırat University, Dünya Special Dialysis Center and Çağrı Special Dialysis Center, which are located in Elazığ district of Turkey; and Bingöl Special Dialysis Center and Bingöl State Hospital, which are located in Bingöl district of Turkey. No methods for the election of samples have been applied with the intent of reaching out to the whole target population. The research has been completed with 363 patients (%84 of the target population). Data has been gathered by the researcher herself by using the face to face interview method from June 15, 2019 to October 15, 2019. Also, Hemodialysis Comfort Scale and Dialysis Symptom Index have been used to gather data. For the analysis of data, numbers, percentages, means and standard deviations have been used, whereas for the independent samples, T-Tests, Kruskal Wallis H Test and Linear Regression Analysis Test have been used. Findings: It has been stated that hemodialysis patients got a point of 20.05+6.50 in Hemodialysis Comfort Scale, 5.25+2.66 in Relief Sub-dimension, and 14.79+4.63 in Overcoming Sub-dimension. Furthermore, it has been detected comfort levels of the patients are intermediate. Also, patients got a point of 67.72+24.56 in Dialysis Symptom Index and thus their symptoms are intermediate. The symptoms, that hemodialysis patients are experiencing, are effecting their comfort level in the ratio of %21.5.(R=.463, R2.=.215) Result: It has been concluded that the symptoms, that hemodialysis patients going through hemodialysis treatment are experiencing, indeed has an effect on the patients' comfort level. Key Words: Hemodialysis, Comfort, Symptom, Nursing