The Effect of Educational Intervention based on Social Support Theory on Improvement of Hemodialysis Patients’ Quality of Life

Chronic kidney failure is a progressive and irreversible degeneration of renal function that affects the quality of life of patients. Social support as a coping mechanism can help promote health and improve the quality of life of a person. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of educational intervention based on social support theory on the improvement of hemodialysis patients’ QOL. This is a controlled quasi-experimental conducted in 2015 in Sari and with the participation of 100 hemodialysis patients that were randomly assigned to 2 groups. Prior to education, the patients were evaluated with demographic form, quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF) and social support (MOS-SSS) questionnaires. Then, an educational program was developed based on social support theory and implemented for the intervention group. The two groups were reevaluated with the same questionnaires after 1 and 3 months and the data were analyzed in SPSS. In the intervention group compared to the control group, the mean scores of quality of life and social support increased significantly after the intervention (p<0.001). There was a significant relationship between quality of life with education and income, and likewise between social support and income (p<0.05). There was no significant relationship between social support with education, age, gender, marital status, and duration of dialysis, or between QOL with age, gender, marital status, and duration of dialysis. Educational intervention based on social support theory is effective in the improvement of hemodialysis patients’ quality of life. Accordingly, patients’ nursing care and education in terms of social support and its dimensions should be high on the agenda.