Effects of a Goal-Oriented Care Interventions

Overview

This study was a clinical trial. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Goal-Oriented Care intervention on blood pressure, percentage of interdialytic weight gain, self-management behaviors, and quality of life in hospitalized patients with unplanned dialysis at three and six-months post-discharge. This study was an experimental design in a medical center in Southern Taiwan. A cluster sample method was selected for each two wards from four nephrology wards and was randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The enrolled patients were assigned to the experimental and control groups according to different wards' admission. The inclusion criteria were: (1) patients who received unplanned dialysis during hospitalization; (2) aged between 20 and 80 years; (3) not undergoing renal replacement therapy before recruitment; (4) alert consciousness status and ability to communicate; (5) ability to perform self-management behaviors. The exclusion criteria were a history of psychiatric illness, any active infection and inability to communicate or understand the educational process. Each group consisted of 46 participants. Both groups received routine health education. However, the experimental group during hospitalization additionally received 40 minutes of one-on-one education three times a week for three weeks, as the Goal-Oriented Care program for 6 hours in total, followed by telephone sessions of 20 minutes every month for six months post-discharge. On receiving the third dialysis, baseline data including self-report questionnaires assessed participants' demographic and disease characteristics and medical record reports for blood pressure and percentage of interdialytic weight gain were collected. A week after discharge, self-management behaviors and quality of life baseline data were assessed using self-reported questionnaires and these were followed up at three and six-months post-discharge, which then also included blood pressure and percentage of interdialytic weight gain.Generalized estimating equations were used to assess changes amounts in each outcome variable from the baseline to three months and six-months post-discharge between two groups.

On receiving the third dialysis, baseline data including self-report questionnaires assessed participants' demographic and disease characteristics and medical record reports for blood pressure and percentage of interdialytic weight gain were collected. A week after discharge, self-management behaviors and quality of life baseline data were assessed using self-reported questionnaires and these were followed up at three and six-months post-discharge, which then also included blood pressure and percentage of interdialytic weight gain. All data were analyzed using the computer-based statistical software package SPSS, version 20.0. Descriptive statistics were calculated to examine the distribution of the study variables as mean, standard deviation and percentage among participants. Inferential statistics included the chi-square test, independent two-sample t-test, and paired sample t-test. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess changes amounts in each outcome variable from the baseline to three months and six-months post-discharge between two groups.