The Effect of Comfort Theory-Based Nursing Care on Intolerance of Uncertainty and Comfort Levels in Individuals Undergoing Hemodialysis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background and Purpose: Chronic renal failure is a common public health problem worldwide, and hemodialysis has become the standard treatment. During this long and exhausting process, it is extremely important that individuals undergoing hemodialysis receive effective and high-quality nursing care so that accurate prognoses can be made and complications prevented. This study aimed to determine the effect of comfort theory-based nursing care on intolerance to uncertainty and comfort levels in hemodialysis patients. Methods: The sample of this randomized controlled study consisted of individuals receiving hemodialysis at a private dialysis center. The sample comprised a total of 60 patients, 30 in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. Patients in the experimental group received training during an 8-week dialysis period using nursing care interventions based on Katharine Kolcaba's comfort theory for health care needs. The training content covered holistic nursing care and consisted of physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental dimensions in order to reduce uncertainty and increase comfort levels in the individuals receiving dialysis. This care was based on Kolcaba's comfort theory. A Personal Information Form including the individuals' descriptive, disease, and treatment characteristics, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and the General Comfort Questionnaire (GCQ) were used for data collection. Independent two-sample comparisons were performed using the chi(2) test for qualitative variables and the t test for quantitative variables. Results: In the comparison of the groups, there were significant results for the total GCQ and its subdimensions except for the relief subdimension (p < 0.05). The scores for the total IUS and its subdimensions were significant (p < 0.01). Implications for Practice: It was determined that comfort theory-based nursing care interventions were effective in reducing the level of intolerance of uncertainty and increasing the comfort level. It is recommended that comfort theory-based nursing care guidelines should be used to reduce the sense of uncertainty and increase the comfort levels of individuals receiving hemodialysis.