Experience of Patients Living with Chronic Renal Failure

Kang, Sung Ye; Lee, Byung Sook

Abstract

The Purpose of the study was to understand the experience of chronic renal failure patients for the qualified individual care for them. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of patients living with chronic renal failure and to identify the meaning and structure of their experience. The subjects were four patients, two females and two males. The age range was from 21 to 54. Data was collected with a few in-depth interviews by the authors until the data was fully saturated. The framework and methodology of this study was based on Parse's "Human Becoming methodology," an existential phenomenological research methodology. The findings of this study were as follows. Three experience structures of chronic renal failure patients were : 1. Sufferings and conflicts originated in the frustration caused by uncurable disease. 2. Dependence upon God and significant others with complex emotions. 3. Acceptance of sufferings, emerging hope for serving people, and gratitude for living. In conclusion the experience of chronic renal failure patients could be described from the findings (three structures) as "Experiencing the sufferings, conflicts originated in the frustration caused by uncurable disease, dependence upon God and significant others with complex emotion, acceptance of the suffering and hope for serving people, and gratitude for living." The three structures of the lived experience of patients with chronic renal failure, the findings of this study, could be explained by the three concepts of "Theory of Human Becoming," the first structure could be explained with values, the second with revealing-concealing, and the third with transforming.