The effect of the peer educational-supportive program on enhancing the resilience and self-efficacy of Hemodialysis patients

Background: Hemodialysis patients often have low resilience and self-efficacy due to physical limitations, psychological pressures, and lack of social support. Nursing care must prioritize addressing these issues. Additionally, patients can be motivated and encouraged by seeing others who have successfully coped with similar challenges. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of peer educational-supportive programs on enhancing the resilience and self-efficacy of hemodialysis patients. Methods: The study was conducted at Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord and focused on hemodialysis patients. Patients were chosen using an available method and placed into either the intervention (32-person) or control group (34-person) based on whether they were admitted on odd or even days. Initially, five peers were selected from hemodialysis patients and underwent eight training sessions lasting 45 to 60 minutes. Afterward, the intervention group participated in a 12-week educational and support program the selected peers implemented. Data was collected using demographic and resilience questionnaires developed by Connor and Davidson and Shere’s general self-efficacy questionnaire. The analysis was conducted using SPSS version 16 software. Results: The average scores for resilience and self-efficacy in the intervention group before the intervention were 44.82 ± 7.13 and 5.02 ± 32.02, respectively. Following the intervention, these scores improved to 63.25 ± 6.63 and 55.80 ± 6.98, respectively, showing statistically significant changes (P < 0.001). In contrast, there were no significant differences in resilience and self-efficacy scores within the control group before and after the intervention (P > 0.05). Conclusions : The study's results demonstrate that the educational support program implemented by peers has a positive effect on increasing the resilience and self-efficacy of hemodialysis patients. Therefore, it is suggested that including peers in educational support programs to enhance resilience and self-efficacy be seriously considered. Trial registration: No Trial sponsor: Shahrekord University of Medical Science Funding: This research is financially supported by Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Study status: This study has been completed. Related article: No related articles for this study have been submitted to any journal. The study's sponsor and funders had no involvement in the data's design, analysis, or interpretation. The content is entirely the authors' responsibility and does not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Institutes of Health.