Effectiveness of Nutritional instructional Program on Knowledge among Hemodialysis Patients in Kirkuk General Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To assess effectiveness of nutritional instructional program on knowledge among hemodialysis patients in Kirkuk General Hospital.

Methodology: A descriptive study was conducted at Kirkuk General Hospital in Kirkuk city. The research was carried out over a period from 4th September 2022, to 1st May 2023. The sample, consisting of 30 patients, was divided into two groups: the study group, exposed to the nutritional educational program, and the control group not exposed to the program. The effectiveness of the nutritional educational program was measured using a 48-item questionnaire, the data were analyzed by SPSS ver. 22.

Results: The study found that the educational program had a positive and significant effect on patients' knowledge of nutrition, with a significant improvement observed in the study group between pre- and post-tests across all main domains. Regarding the demographic characteristics of the sample, the majority (73.3%), and highest proportion of the sample (56.27%) was in the age group of (50-59) years. The majority of the sample were married (86.7%), and the majority had a primary school education (40%). In terms of the duration of hemodialysis therapy, the majority (46.7%) had been receiving treatment for 3-5 years.