Effects of a structured hospitality approach in dialysis

A nursing research project including a series of qualitative surveys was set up to investigate how a care-team culture of hospitality and the use of some relational tools could, through a structured approach, have positive effects on patients starting the dialysis treatment pathway. A structured hospitality approach addressed to new-entry patients seems to activate important prerequisites for patient care perception.

The research showed that the lack of a personally addressed hospitality approach would not be limited to neutral effects but might have harmful effects on patients' self-care attitude as well, producing different patient outcomes, both clinically and in their interaction with the dialysis setting. The will to stimulate self-empowerment and self-esteem seems to be clearly perceived and appreciated by the patients, and this was confirmed by the collected quality data. The evidence emerging from this study tells us that a care-team culture oriented towards valuing hospitality, which in this case had been implemented in various organizational steps and ways, may have positive effects on care outcomes – not only for the individual patient but also the care-team members – by activating a high satisfaction rebound.