The effects of planned training on incidence of peritonitis and quality of life in patients having continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

The study was conducted in a semi-experimental design comparing pre-test and post-test results in order to determine the effects of planned training on incidence of peritonitis and quality of life in patients having continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Fifty-two volunteering patients being followed in Dr. Ersin Arslan Training and Research Hospital Peritoneal Dialysis Unit were enrolled in the study. Data of the study were collected with patient descriptive features form, which was developed by the researcher in light of the literature, CAPD Patient Evaluation Inventory and Short Form Quality of Life Scale after having permission. Patients were trained after the pre-test and followed by telephone for 3 months. Post-test was performed after 3 months follow-up. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 Program Pack. Normality of the results was tested with Kolmogorow Smirnov normality test (n>50). The difference between mean score of two dependent samples was analyzed with Dependent Sample t Test and the relation between two continuous variable was tested with Spearman's Correlation Test. More than half of the patients (57.7%) were 46-80 years old, 59,6% were male. 44,2% of the patients had a concomitant disease such as hypertension (17,4%) and diabetes mellitus (30,4%). The results of the study revealed an increase in knowledge and skills of patients who had training (p<0.05). Also, an increase was found in mean scores of some sub-dimensions of Quality of Life in patients who had training (p<0.05). These results suggest that training and close follow-up may contribute to increasing knowledge of patients on the treatment process and promoting quality of life of the patients. It is recommended to tailor the training for the individual, use modern materials and methods in training.