Self-management types and characteristics of patients with chronic kidney disease: A cluster analysis

Objective To explore the potential types of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) based on their self-management ability and hope level. Methods A total of 133 patients who were selected as subjects from the follow-up cases in the Chronic Kidney Disease Management Center of Xinqiao Hospital Army Medical University from January to June 2017 using the convenient sampling method. CKD Self-Management Instrument and Herth Hope Index were used to assess the subjects and cluster analysis was used to identify patient types. Comparison of general information was conducted across different patient types. Results A total of 121 valid surveys were collected. The 121 cases of CKD patients can be characterized into 3 types: Type I patients have high self-management ability with a high hope level; Type II patients have medium self-management ability with a high hope level; Type III patients have low self-management ability with a medium hope level. There were statistical differences in age, educational level, medical payment method, and CKD staging across patients of the three different types (P<0.05) . Conclusions There are 3 types of CKD patients in this study. If health professionals can effectively identify patient types and offer individualized care accordingly, the health condition of CKD patients could greatly improve. Key words: Chronic disease; Chronic kidney disease; Self-management ability; Hope level; Cluster analysis