Table 3: Patient responses to interview
questions about successful treatment.
Emergent themes for patient
responses |
Example of patient quotes |
Interviewer question: what makes
treatment successful? |
|
Amount
of fluid removed during hemodialysis |
·
Can feel
the difference when the fluid is coming off of me ·
Could
tell the difference when the fluids come off ·
I'm not
having to have so much fluid drawn out |
Fewer
side effects following hemodialysis |
·
Feeling
good after the treatment, not having any light-headedness or cramping ·
It’s not
taking so much fluid that I'm pretty much incapacitated for that day ·
Treatment
allows doing normal activities without having to crash in bed for hours to
recuperate |
Reduced
fluid retention |
·
Get
under my weight and my water down ·
I don't
put on a lot of water weight in-between treatments ·
If I can
take off 5 kilos, that's a good treatment |
Interviewer question: how would your
symptoms have to change for treatment to be considered successful? |
|
Lessening
of fluid retention |
·
It
probably would make me more active to not have as much fluid on me, it's
about a good 5 pounds of water ·
A short
treatment, just to take fluid off ·
It’s
kind of visual, you'll see like less fluid, less puffiness |
Relief
from constipation |
·
Getting
the treatment, I go a little better [constipation] ·
The
treatment loosens me up, it makes more liquid after I have my treatment
[constipation] |
Increased
energy |
·
More
energy, help me to better measure my lifestyle, give me more control of my
lifestyle, I think the treatment is worth it ·
My
energy level |
Relief
from thirst |
·
I
wouldn't be as thirsty, it would be draining the sodium out of my body to
stop me from being thirsty ·
If my
thirst would be relieved, that would be great |
Interviewer question: how would the
impact of your condition have to change for treatment to be considered
successful? |
|
Improved
activity level |
·
I'd be
able to go home and do some activities instead of lying down ·
It would
be a great thing if I could do more ·
About
50% [improvement in activity level] |
Twenty-one patients
included in study.