Depression is a common side effect associated with diagnosing and treating chronic health problems. Dialysis is a treatment procedure applied to patients with chronic kidney disease that impairs or damages the organ’s functionality (Nagasawa et al., 2018). According to Wen et al. (2022), dialysis helps remove toxins or waste and excess fluids from the blood of patients whose kidneys are not functioning or stopped working properly. The procedure and its cost increase patients’ vulnerability to depression. Therefore, choosing the appropriate and most effective treatment for depression is vital to improving dialysis patients’ well-being.
If I were to conduct experimental research about the treatment and management of depression in dialysis patients, I would focus on finding the most effective and safe medication for the condition among adults. The hypothesis I would pursue in the experimental study is that cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is more effective and safe in treating depression in dialysis patients (adults) than anti-depressants.
I would pursue the hypothesis because nurses can use the findings to recommend the most effective and safe treatment for dialysis-associated depression. Undeniably, dialysis treatment imposes a significant burden on patients. Nagasawa et al. (2018) indicate that the treatment is costly and requires patients to visit hospitals twice or thrice weekly, with every visit lasting between three to six hours. Such factors cause depression in patients, inhibiting the effort to achieve the desired quality of life targeted by dialysis treatment. Some interventions for depression are likely superior to others in terms of effectiveness and whether they cause side effects. Therefore, the hypothesis will help determine which intervention, CBT and anti-depressants, is superior in treating and managing depression in adults undergoing dialysis treatment.
References
Nagasawa, H., Sugita, I., Tachi, T., Esaki, H., Yoshida, A., Kanematsu, Y., Noguchi, Y., Kobayashi, Y., Ichikawa, E., Tsuchiya, T., & Teramachi, H. (2018). The relationship between dialysis patients’ quality of life and caregivers’ quality of life. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 9, 1–10. Web.
Wen, Q., Yao, S., & Yao, B. (2022). Effectiveness of comprehensive nursing in hemodialysis of patients with chronic renal failure and the impact on their quality of life. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2022, 1–6. Web.