Introduction:

Chronic renal failure is a multifactorial, progressive and irreversible problem affecting the life and health of millions of people; its treatment requires adherence to the therapy of choice and the development of self-care skills. The lack of self-care increases physical, psychological, social and economic costs at the individual, family, social and hospital levels.

Objective:

To determine self-care behaviors, knowledge and resources related to practice in a group of people living with renal failure on hemodialysis therapy.

Methods:

A mixed research with sequential explanatory design, as well as a quantitative first stage and a qualitative second stage, was carried out. The self-care assessment instrument was applied to 121 people attending hemodialysis therapies in two renal care units of the city. Subsequently, an in-depth interview was conducted with people who possessed adequate levels of self-care. The data were categorized and analyzed using the software ATLAS TI (version 8).

Results:

76.03% presented inadequate level of self-care. The dimensions with best performance were sleep, rest and leisure, accounting for 55.37%, as well as interpersonal relations, accounting for 58.67%. There is knowledge at a receptive level, while social support resources, both instrumental and emotional, stand out.

Conclusions:

The construction of self-care practices requires genuine participation among the different healthcare actors, with the purpose of empowering the person in view of performing actions based on the understanding of his or her condition and the management of his or her own health.

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