Teach Back Method on Depression Levels in Hemodialysis Patients

Background: Depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among hemodialysis patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Due to the chronic nature of the disease and the burdens of treatment, patients often experience psychological distress. The Teach-Back Method is a patient education strategy that ensures comprehension and retention by having patients repeat the information in their own words, and has shown promise in managing chronic conditions. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of individualized education using the Teach-Back Method on the depression levels of adult patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods: This was a two-center, randomized controlled interventional study with a pre-test-post-test design. A total of 40 patients with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), aged between 18-65, who had been receiving hemodialysis for at least three months, were randomly assigned to intervention (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The intervention group received three sessions of individualized education using the Teach-Back Method, while the control group received no intervention during the study. Depression levels were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) before and three months after the intervention. Hypothesis H1: Individual education provided using the Teach-Back Method reduces the level of depression in adult ESRD patients receiving hemodialysis treatment.