Knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards prevention and early detection of chronic kidney disease

Abstract

To describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of Jordanian patients with chronic illnesses towards prevention and early detection of chronic kidney disease. Patients with chronic illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes need to adopt healthy attitudes and practices and gain knowledge regarding prevention and early detection of kidney disease to decrease the prevalence of dialysis-related complications and costs. A total of 740 patients were recruited from out-patients clinics in Jordan. Knowledge, attitudes and practices about kidney disease prevention and early detection were measured using the Chronic Kidney Disease Screening Index which was developed by the researcher and tested for validity and reliability. The results revealed that most of the participants have knowledge about kidney disease; however, half of them had wrong information related to signs and symptoms of chronic kidney disease. The majority of the participants were not aware about the importance of discovering health problems at early stages. Improvement in population understanding about chronic kidney disease is needed to advance their awareness and practices to make appropriate decisions towards health promotion and better quality of life. Nurses need to be involved in development of protocols for screening and intervention programmes, taking into consideration the cultural issues and the financial status of individuals at risk for kidney disease. Governments should adopt a public health policy for chronic kidney disease that supports programmes for screening and programmes for improving public awareness for kidney disease prevention.