Abstract: Objective: To investigate the level and influencing factors of discharge readiness of patients with first catheter for peritoneal dialysis in rural areas. Methods: Totally 155 peritoneal dialysis patients with first catheter in rural areas from nephrology department of a tertiary Grade-A hospital in Zhengzhou were investigated during November 2018 to May 2019 with discharge preparation scale, quality of discharge guidance scale and social support rating scale on the day of discharge. Results: The average score of patients' discharge readiness was 6.33±0.85, with a lower middle level. The results of correlation analysis showed that the patient's discharge readiness was positively correlated with the quality of discharge guidance and social support. The related factors of patient's discharge readiness included gender, age, education level, occupation, number of complications, serum creatinine level, quality of discharge guidance and social support (R2=0.842). Conclusion: The level of discharge readiness of peritoneal dialysis patients with first catheter in rural areas needs to be improved urgently. Targeted health education for the patients should be implemented according to the different characteristics of patients in rural areas. It is necessary to improve the discharge guidance skills and effects, to create a multi-support system for patients.

Key words: rural; peritoneal dialysis; readiness for discharge; quality of discharge teaching; survey