Abstract
Introduction: Patient-centered care is an approach to healthcare that focuses on the preferences and needs of the patients. Clarifying patients’ care preferences helps facilitate and improve the process of advance care planning.
Objectives: The present study was conducted to examine the care preferences of patients under hemodialysis.
Patients and Methods: The present study uses qualitative content analysis to examine the care preferences of patients under hemodialysis. The data required for the study was collected through semi-structured interviews held with 20 participants selected according to purposive sampling and continued until data saturation was reached.
Results: The analysis of the data led to the extraction of the two sub-themes of “dependence on dialysis” and “protection” for the main theme of “preserving life”, the three sub-themes of “acceptance of hemodialysis”, “receiving information” and “adapting to limitations” for the main theme of “self-care”, the two sub-themes of “friendly relationships” and “competent staff” for the main theme of “expert care providers”, and the three sub-themes of “support”, “equipment” and “facilities” for the main theme of “proper care conditions.”
Conclusion: “Preserving life” comprised the main care preference of the examined patients under hemodialysis. Clarifying the patients’ care preferences helps maintain their health and provide them with a more comfortable and satisfactory experience of hemodialysis.