The prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing at an alarming rate worldwide, leading to a growing number of patients developing kidney failure and requiring haemodialysis (HD). HD prolongs life and improves health, but it imposes substantial physical, nutritional, psychological and financial demands on patients. Patients on HD often endure a high symptom burden, which significantly impairs their lives.

The study aimed to explore and describe the lived experiences of patients residing in rural areas of Pakistan receiving HD.

A transcendental phenomenology.

Dialysis unit of a tertiary care hospital in Mirpur, AJK, Pakistan.

Twenty village-based patients with CKD receiving HD were recruited through a purposive sampling technique.

The data were collected through unstructured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews using an interview guide, as well as observation and document analysis. Thematic analysis used a Colaizzi seven-step method to derive key themes from the data.

Five major themes emerged after the data analysis, reflecting the complex symptom burden experienced by patients: (1) Physical manifestations and loss of independence due to persistent pain and fatigue, leading to increased dependency in daily activities. (2) Emotional and cognitive impact characterised by emotional distress, including anxiety, helplessness and cognitive disturbances such as poor concentration and mental fatigue. (3) Challenges with dietary management and lifestyle adaptation due to difficulties in adhering to dietary and fluid restrictions, further complicated by limited resources, lack of individualised guidance and cultural dietary practices. (4) Financial and logistical hardships, including out-of-pocket expenses, loss of income due to reduced work capacity and geographic barriers, significantly affecting treatment adherence and continuity of care. (5) Post-dialysis experiences and side effects. Patients expressed diverse experiences: some mentioned transient relief after HD, while others described ongoing side effects.

Patients with CKD on HD may face multiple symptoms that impact physical, emotional, cognitive, dietary, financial and social domains, which potentially contribute to reduced quality of life. Persistent symptoms and limited support highlight the need for holistic, patient-centred care strategies that address their physical, emotional, psychosocial and financial challenges, particularly in rural and underserved populations.

Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease worldwide, affecting 1–2% of adults. According to the WHO 2022 report, Pakistan ranks 18th globally for HF-related deaths. The exact prevalence of HF is not well documented. Additionally, knowledge and self-care behaviour among patients with HF are suboptimal. Therefore, this study aims to assess the knowledge and self-care behaviours of patients with HF before being discharged from the hospital and tracks the time to 30-day readmissions.

A prospective cohort research design will be used. Patients will be recruited from three tertiary care hospitals through consecutive sampling based on specific inclusion criteria. A structured tool will be used to collect demographic and clinical variables from 227 patients with HF. The Urdu version of the knowledge and self-care behaviour questionnaires will be used to collect the data. Kaplan-Meier product limit method and Cox proportional hazards model will be employed to obtain estimates with 95% CIs.

The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Pakistan (IRB 103-24), and written permission was obtained from the administration of the understudy hospitals. Before obtaining a written consent, all patients will receive detailed information about the study. Patients will have the freedom to withdraw from the study at any point. Patients’ confidentiality will be ensured. The study findings will be disseminated to essential stakeholders and published in scientific papers and conference proceedings.