A Review on Self-Care-Promoting Interventions in Hemodialysis Patients

Considering the importance of self-care in hemodialysis patients and the lack of comprehensive evaluation of the effects of interventions on self-care in patients undergoing hemodialysis, the present study provides evidence to review the interventions and strategies that promote self-care behaviors in hemodialysis patients. This narrative review study was conducted to identify interventions to promote self-care in hemodialysis patients. To find evidence related to the study objective, the databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, Magiran, and the Google Scholar search engine were searched without time limitation until 2025. The keywords that were used to search were "Self-care, Dialysis, Hemodialysis, Renal Replacement Therapy." A checklist was used to extract data from the studies. After screening studies and removing duplicates, 14 studies remained. Of the studies, 6 were quasi-experimental, 7 were randomized clinical trials, and 1 was a mixed-method study. The total number of hemodialysis patients studied in these studies was 1020. Interventions focused on several educational approaches to improve self-care behaviors in hemodialysis patients. These approaches included the following: video-based training, structured intervention programs, educational pamphlets and booklets, Orem's self-care theory, self-efficacy theory, health and nursing belief models, 5A self-management program model, PRECEDE-based training, behavioral training sessions, interactive multimedia approach and mobile applications, and peer and nurse education. The results of the review of studies indicated that educational methods had significant effects on improving self-care behaviors of hemodialysis patients (P < .05). Educational interventions, especially those that use structured programs, multimedia tools, and theoretical frameworks, can improve self-care behaviors, knowledge, and self-efficacy in hemodialysis patients. Therefore, health care providers are suggested to use these strategies to increase self-care in hemodialysis patients.