A team from CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research/The University of Aveiro will support chronic kidney patients on hemodialysis, a group particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A team from CINTESIS – Center for Health Technology and Services Research/The University of Aveiro will support chronic kidney patients on hemodialysis, a group particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The specialists are developing totally free online psychoeducational programs for groups of people on hemodialysis, for couples in which one of the elements undergoes this treatment, and for family caregivers.
These online psychoeducational programs consist of six sessions of 90 minutes each and should start between March 7 and 13, the week in which World Kidney Day is celebrated (March 11). Registrations are now open on the website www.togetherwestand.pt.
“Even in the current pandemic state due to COVID-19, we have not given up on our mission with people and families in situations of chronic kidney disease”, says Daniela Figueiredo, project coordinator, and CINTESIS researcher.
According to the official, “the objective is to facilitate the development of strategies that allow these people to live beyond the disease, the treatments, and their implications, despite the difficulties they face daily”.
The aim is also to increase adherence to treatments for terminal chronic renal failure and contribute to a better quality of life for the people involved. It is known that the lack of adherence to treatments is associated with worse clinical results and an increase in early mortality.
In this regard, the sessions will include two distinct components: an educational component (focused on strengthening knowledge and strategies for self-management of the disease) and a support component (aimed at managing emotions, facilitating communication, and strengthening support networks) to fight social isolation).
The project team includes specialists from various areas, such as Psychology, Medicine, Physiotherapy, and Education. In addition to Daniela Figueiredo, researchers Oscar Ribeiro, Helena Sousa (CINTESIS/UA), and Constança Paúl (CINTESIS/UP) also participate.
Dialysis Patients Most Affected by the Pandemic
The creation of these online psychoeducational groups responds to several old needs of chronic kidney patients, now aggravated by the pandemic by COVID-19
A study carried out last year by the same researchers had already indicated a reduction in the effectiveness of dialysis and disease control markers during the pandemic, as well as changes in patients’ daily routines, including less healthy eating and a decrease in physical activity.
Likewise, it was demonstrated that people on hemodialysis had “greater emotional distress” and “more symptoms of anxiety” during the first confinement in Portugal, mainly due to the fear of being infected by SARS-CoV-2.
Hemodialysis is the most common treatment for end-stage renal failure, functioning as an “artificial kidney” that eliminates waste and excess fluids from the body. However, this replacement therapy requires patients to visit specialized units several times a week, increasing the risk of infection.
The project Together We Stand: Promoting adherence in end-stage renal disease through a family-based self-management intervention is developed in the framework of CINTESIS/the University of Aveiro, in partnership with REQUIMTE and the University of Porto and with funding from FEDER, through COMPETE2020 – Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program (POCI) and the Foundation for Science and Technology ( FCT).