An Alternative View of Living Well: Survival Trajectory of Korean Patients with Kidney Failure on Hemodialysis.

Patients with kidney failure undergoing hemodialysis rely on a hemodialysis machine for survival. Experiences of patients going through this situation were described using a phenomenological approach. These patients experienced early and late transitions within a dual structure of despair and hope, dependence and independence, and activity and passivity. Early transitions included experiencing shock and a struggle for survival. Late transitions included facing up to the reality and maintaining a hemodialysis-life balance. A traditional Korean belief system constituted a buffering system for the difficulties of their reality. These results may help nurses understand the survival trajectory of patients with kidney failure on hemodialysis and to respond more effectively to the needs of such patients in transition periods. Copyright© by the American Nephrology Nurses Association.