A Study on the Experience of Patients with Chronic Renal Failure who have Received a Kidney Transplant

Lee, Sook Hee; Kim, Kyung Hee; Chung, Hea Kyung

Abstract

The grafting of a kidney has been found to be the best medical treatment for patients who have renal insufficiency failure, but the patients still have experienced much trouble and apprehension. This study was done to further nursing theory developing for patients who have has a kidney graft from another person. The research method followed grounded theory methodology of Strauss and Corbin. The subjects were three female and four male patients. This study done between Oct. 1997 and Mar. 1998. All of the subjects were interviewed by the author. Interview were done by the long interview technique and observation. In the process of data analysis, 'heart-boiling' was found to be the core phenomenon. The results were composed to 101 concepts. These concepts were grouped into nineteen categories, and then to twelve categories. There were 12 super-class categories as follows ; 'pain', 'heart-boiling', 'experience of dialysis', 'term of admission to a hospital', 'support of other person', 'dependence on God', 'direction', 'negative reaction', 'positive reaction', 'comfortable', 'lacking', 'acceptance'. In this process, 14 hypotheses were derived from the categories as follows. (1) The more experience with dialysis that the patients have, the stronger the heart-boiling will tend to be. (2) The less experience with dialysis the patients have, the weaker the heart-boiling will tend to be. (3) The longer admission to hospital the patients have, the stronger the heart-boiling will be. (4) The shorter the admission to hospital the patients have, the weaker the heart -boiling will be. (5) The weaker the intense-grief is, the more positive the reaction to heart-boiling the patients wall have. (6) The stronger the intense-grief is, the more negative the reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (7) The stronger the support of other persons that the patients have, the more positive the reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (8) The weaker the support of other person that the patients have, the more negative the reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (9) The stronger the dependence on God that the patients have, the mare positive reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (10) The weaker the dependence on God that the patients have, the more negative reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (11) The more positive thoughts that the patients have, the more positive reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (12) The more negative thoughts that the patients have, the more negative reaction to heart-boiling the patients will have. (13) The more positive reaction the patients have, the more free from heart-boiling the patients tend to be. (14) The more negative reaction the patients have, the less free from heart-boiling the patients tend to be. From the analysis of observed data and comparing each class, 1 concluded that there are four formula relation types between reaction of patients and heart-boiling. (1) If patients have the experience of dialysis, have a long term admission to hospital, are strong in heart-boiling, depend on God, have positive thoughts and another's strong support, they experience release by positive reaction to the intense-grief. (2) If patients have the experience of dialysis, have a short term admission to hospital, are weak in heart-boiling, do not depend on God, have negative thoughts, and have few supports from others, they experience attachment to heart-boiling thought a negative reaction. (3) If patients have the experience of dialysis, have a long term admission to hospital, are strong in heart-boiling, do not depend on God, and have negative thoughts, they experience attachment to heart-boiling through negative reaction in spite of support from another. (4) If patients have the experience of dialysis, have a long term admission into hospital, are strong in heart -boiling and sat isfaction is low, but they have positive thoughts, then they experience acceptance and harmony through the positive reaction to heart-boiling. The results of this study are expected to help the way nurses care for patients who have had a kidney graft from another.