Effectiveness of the Nurse-led Self and Family Management Support Program among Adults with Early-stage Chronic Kidney Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chronic kidney disease is a significant health problem that leads to severe complications and premature death. Adults with early-stage chronic kidney disease need to maintain renal function and prevent the progression, which can be achieved through effective self-management. This randomized control trial with a two-arm pre-post-test aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Nurse-led Self and Family Management Support Program for increasing disease knowledge and self-management among adults with early-stage chronic kidney disease. The sample consisted of dyads of 64 adults with the disease and their family members. The dyads were randomly assigned to the experimental arm (n = 32) and the control arm (n = 32). The experimental arm received the Nurse-led Self and Family Management Support Program, while the control arm received only usual care. Data was collected using a demographic data recording form, the Disease Knowledge Scale, and the Chronic Kidney Disease Self-Management Scale. Data analysis was undertaken using descriptive statistics, two-way repeated ANOVA with post hoc test, and independent t-test. From the results, the participants in the experiment arm had better disease knowledge and self-management than the control group at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after the program and were better than before the program. Nurses can apply this program to encourage individuals and family members to be involved in providing all aspects of support for self-management for adults with early-stage chronic kidney disease. However, further testing in other settings is needed.