The effect of empowerment program on empowerment level and self-care self-efficacy of patients on hemodialysis treatment

BACKGROUND: Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who receive dialysis confront the burdens of long-term illness and numerous physical problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study. The selected patients from Gorgan Dialysis Centre were randomly assigned into an empowerment group (n = 40) and a control group (n = 40). Instruments comprised scales of Empowerment and the Strategies Used by People to Promote Health (SUPPH). Data were collected at baseline and at 6 weeks following the intervention. The data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics through SPSS (version 17). RESULTS: The results indicate that scores of the empowerment (P ≤ 0.001) and self-care self-efficacy (P = 0.003) in the empowerment group showed a significantly greater improvement than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study supports the effectiveness of the empowerment program to promote empowerment level and self-care self-efficacy of hemodialysis patients.