Nursing care for chronic kidney disease patients with cold compresses to reduce pain scale

Abstract

Chronic Kidney Failure (CKD) is a progressive and irreversible kidney dysfunction that causes fluid and electrolyte imbalances, as well as the accumulation of metabolic waste products in the body. CKD patients undergoing hemodialysis often experience pain due to the arteriovenous fistula (AV-fistula) needle insertion and the dialysis process, which can reduce patient comfort and quality of life. One non-pharmacological intervention that can be used to reduce pain is cold compresses. The purpose of this case study is to describe nursing care management for a CKD patient using cold compresses to reduce pain. The method used is a case study with a nursing process approach, including assessment, nursing diagnosis, intervention, implementation, and evaluation. The study subject was a 58-year-old male patient with a medical diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) who was admitted to Hospital X from April 1 to 4, 2026. Data were obtained through interviews, observation, physical examination, and medical record review. The assessment results showed the patient complained of pain in the left upper extremity after hemodialysis with a pain scale of 5 accompanied by grimacing. The nursing diagnosis was acute pain related to a physical injuring agent. The intervention provided was pain management through cold compress therapy for four days. Evaluation results showed a decrease in the pain scale from 5 to 0, the patient no longer grimaced, and vital signs were within normal limits. The application of cold compresses has been shown to help reduce pain intensity in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) after hemodialysis. Therefore, cold compresses can be used as an effective non-pharmacological nursing intervention in pain management in patients with CKD.