Understanding the Lived Experience of Loss and Grieving in Persons with End Stage Renal Disease: A Humanbecoming Approach (Report‪)‬

Introduction Chronic renal failure is the result of a number of pathological processes causing irreversible damage to kidney tissue, and is increasingly recognized as a global public health problem. The disease can be detected using simple laboratory tests, and treatment can delay or prevent complications of decreased kidney function, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and slow the progression of the disease. As the prevalence of chronic kidney disease continues to grow, the cost of providing dialysis and transplantation continues to escalate, as chronic renal failure eventually leads to end stage renal disease. Advances in care need to be translated into applicable worldwide public health measures in an effort to timely diagnose and treat chronic kidney disease. The relentless increase in the number of individuals who will die without treatment has become epidemic (Connolly & Woolfson, 2009). An analysis of the reported causes of death for those diagnosed with end stage renal disease revealed that more than 38.1% (one third) died of cardiac failure and 15.0% died because they refused treatment, or withdrew from therapy (Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2002).