ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between demographic factors, psychosocial characteristics, and medication compliance rates in older patients receiving hemodialysis and to determine the effectiveness of a teaching program on medication-taking behavior. DESIGN: A descriptive correlational study design was used. SAMPLE/SETTING: A total of 26 patients, age 65 and over, undergoing hemodialysis at an inner city outpatient dialysis clinic met sample criteria. METHODS: The instrument included a demographic data form, the Iowa Self-Assessment Inventory (ISAI) to measure psychosocial variables, and a form to collect data to calculate medication compliance rates. RESULTS: All participants were African-American. Mean age was 70. Sample attrition was high. Scores were below the norm for most ISAI psychosocial factors, medication compliance rates were low, and the teaching intervention did not affect compliance rates. CONCLUSION: Medication compliance in this older dialysis patient population was problematic, and further research in this area is essential.
