Relationship between illness perceptions, treatment adherence, and clinical outcomes in patients on maintenance hemodialysis.

Previous data indicate that negative perception of disease and non-adherence to recommended treatment may lead to unfavorable clinical outcomes in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). However, a paucity of research addresses clinical outcomes in the end stage renal disease (ESRD) population as a function of patients' illness perceptions and their degree of adherence to recommended treatment. The study was conducted to examine illness perceptions and treatment adherence rates in patients on maintenance HD, and to determine if illness perceptions and adherence behaviors influence clinical outcomes. One hundred fifty-one patients completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire and the ESRD-Adherence Questionnaire. Illness perceptions did not independently predict any clinical outcomes in patients on maintenance HD; however, specific adherence behaviors affected clinical outcomes. Therefore, strategies to enhance adherence should be rigorously pursued in this population to improve clinical outcomes.