Comparison of Group Discussion and Teach Back Selfcare Education Effects on Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance of Hemodialysis Patients

Hemodialysis patients require self-care training to manage their problems. To understand the effectiveness of different educational methods, it is necessary to evaluate these methods using knowledge, attitude, and practice assessment tool.

The current study aimed to compare the effects of group discussion and teach-back self-care education on the knowledge, attitude, and performance of hemodialysis patients.

This quasi-experimental study is conducted on 67 patients who were undergoing hemodialysis via fistula for at least 6 months. Using the convenient sampling method, the patients were randomly allocated into two groups: teach-back training (n = 34), and group discussion (n = 33). Both groups were provided with three sessions of self-care training on nutrition, activity, and fistula care by the researcher. Considering the teaching materials, patients in the teach-back group were taught individually to ensure complete comprehension of the information. On the other hand, subjects in the group discussion were exposed to the teaching materials in the form of group training. Data were collected before and one month after providing the training sessions.

In this study, the majority of patients in both groups were married men with an average age of 52 years. Following education, knowledge, attitude, and performance increased in both groups. However, the teach-back method (113.88 ± 4.13) had a higher impact on the attitude of patients than group discussion (110.48 ± 5.68) (P = 0.009).

Teach-back education increased the knowledge, performance, and attitude of patients. It is, therefore, recommended to use this method for patients with negative attitudes toward treatment and disease.