Women's Experience of Spirituality Within End-Stage Renal Disease and Hemodialysis

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive, phenomenological qualitative study is to describe women's lived experiences of spirituality within end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and hemodialysis. The purposive volunteer sample of 16 women regularly attended two outpatient dialysis centers in a large Midwestern city. Audiotaped, transcribed interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi's method. These women affirmed that spirituality was extremely important in living with their illness and necessary treatment regime. Four major clusters of themes pertaining to the women's spiritual experience within their illness emerged: acceptance, understanding, fortification, and emotion modulation. Findings show that spirituality is of great importance in living with ESRD while receiving hemodialysis and suggest that spirituality may be a significant consideration in nursing and interdisciplinary health care. These findings may be used to improve holistic nursing practice and education in related areas.