supporting caregivers of hemodialysis patients: applying the 5-a self-management model to alleviate caregiver burden

Background: enduring chronic renal failure and undergoing hemodialysis significantly impact patients' and their caregivers' physical, spiritual, psychological, and functional abilities. objectives: to examine the impact of implementing the 5-a self-management model on the burden experienced by caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. methods: this experimental study, utilizing a pre-test and post-test design, involved 90 caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. caregivers were selected through simple random sampling. data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the zarit caregiving burden tool. the intervention included implementing the 5-a self-management model. data analysis involved repeated measures anova, comparing scores before the intervention, immediately after, as well as one and three months later. results: prior to the intervention, caregivers in the intervention group experienced higher levels of pressure compared to the control group (p = 0.018). however, one month (p = 0.004) and three months (p = 0.003) after the intervention, the intervention group's scores were significantly lower than those of the control group. furthermore, the effect of time (p < 0.001) and the interaction effect (p < 0.001) were statistically significant, indicating the intervention's positive impact on caregivers' burden and the differences in score changes over time. conclusions: implementation of the 5-a self-management model led to a significant reduction in the burden of caregiving among caregivers of patients undergoing hemodialysis. providing self-management training tailored to the needs of hemodialysis patients and their caregivers is an effective approach to enhancing caregivers' abilities.