Effect of Peer Education on Self-efficacy of Dialysis Patients Referring to Educational-medical Centers in Urmia in 2019

This study aimed to determine the effect of peer education on the self-efficacy of dialysis patients referred to Urmia Teaching-Medical Hospital, Urmia, Iran.

This clinical trial was conducted on 60 dialysis patients who were selected using the convenient sampling and random allocation methods in 2019. They were then divided into two experimental and control groups of 30 cases per group. Before the intervention, demographic characteristics form and dialysis patient self-efficacy questionnaires were utilized to collect information. Subsequently, peer education intervention was designed based on the educational needs of the patients in different domains. The experimental group was then subjected to the intervention during the two sessions of dialysis individually and face to face. One month after the end of the second session, the self-efficacy questionnaire of dialysis patients was given to both groups, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 19).

At the pre-test stage, the independent t-test showed no significant difference between the control and experimental groups in terms of self-efficacy scores (P>0.05). However, a significant difference was observed between the control and experimental groups in terms of the self-efficacy scores at the post-test (P<0.05). Moreover, according to the results of the paired t-test, the experimental group indicated a significant difference before and after the intervention in this regard (P<0.05).

Peer education improves the self-efficacy of dialysis patients. Therefore, it is recommended to utilize this educational method for dialysis patients along with other educational methods.