Development of Dietary Guidelines for Persons undergoing Haemodialysis

Food occupies the consciousness of all living beings and it is all the more prominent concern among individuals with chronic illness. This fact can be easily understood by analysing the content of most of the patients’ queries to the health care professionals that are centered on dietary intake i.e. what food stuffs they can eat and which all they should avoid. As the result of many restrictions in their dietary intake, they feel a loss of control over life that can lead to poor life satisfaction and depression. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted among 50 chronic kidney failure patients those who are undergoing maintenance haemodialysis in the dialysis unit of Kasturba Hospital, using a purposive sampling technique. A semi structured interview schedule was used to assess their knowledge and practice of dietary intake. Results: None of the subjects had a clear view on actual renal diet and 40% believed there is no need of any dietary modifications, 100% believed it is difficult to adhere to dietary restrictions and only 78% practiced some kind of dietary modifications. Based on the identified need, dietary guideline for persons undergoing haemodialysis was developed and validated with the experts.