PERSPECTIVES OF THE PERSON IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS IN RELATION TO THE ILLNESS PROCESS

Objective: To know the perspective of the person in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis in relation to their illness. Method: Exploratory descriptive study of qualitative nature, performed with 20 people in Peritoneal Dialysis. Data was collected through semistructured and open interviews performed between April 2013 and June 2014, in a nephrology service of a public hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The full transcripts were submitted to thematic content analysis. Results: The analysis of the perspectives of the person in dialysis allowed the construction of three categories, namely "Living with uncertainties", "Living in liminality" and "Planning the future". Final thoughts: It was possible to know the perspectives of the person in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and to conclude that the suffering permeates the illness process of those who experience the discovery of renal disease and the beginning of the dialytic treatment, as well as the fear and uncertainties associated with renal transplantation.