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Goal: To provide an overview of symptoms that are reported most often, occur most frequently, have the greatest severity, and cause the most bother for patients on hemodialysis.

Objectives:

Identify the symptoms reported by patients with ESRD on HD.
Explain how symptom presence, frequency, severity, and bother as reported by patients on HD can affect their quality of life.
Discuss the findings of the study and their importance to this patient population.
Describe how nephrology nurses and other health care providers may use these data to provide improved care to patients on HD.

Authors' Note: This work was generously supported by the American Nephrology Nurses' Association Evidence- Based Practice Grant, 2008; the Sigma Theta Tau International Zeta Pi Chapter Grant, 2008; the American Nurses Foundation, 2008; Mary Elizabeth Carnegie, DPA, MA, RN, FAAN/ANF Scholar Award; the Marian and Speros Martel Foundation Scholarship, 2008 and 2009; and the Good Samaritan Foundation Scholarship 2005 to 2009.

Statement of Disclosure: The authors reported no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this continuing nursing education article.

Pamela M. Diamond

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