The constant health education that dialysis patients receive can lead to boredom and noncompliance.

But a Loyola University Medical Center study has found that brief, casual chats can be a significant benefit to patients.

The technique is called "talking control support therapy." As patients were undergoing dialysis, researchers stopped by for informal chats. A typical conversation began with small talk, before moving on to general conversation about healthy dialysis lifestyles. Unlike conventional dialysis education, no specific education goals were set.

After 12 weeks, 82 percent of the study patients met or exceeded their target blood work goals for albumin and phosphorus, compared with 65 percent before the talking control therapy. And there was a 12 percent increase in patient-satisfaction scores.

Results were presented at the National Kidney Foundation 2012 Spring Clinical Meetings.

"In as little as five minutes per week, we can deepen connections to patients in meaningful ways," said Judith Beto, PhD, RD, first author of the study.

The study included 50 of the 120 patients in Loyola's dialysis center. (One patient dropped out after transferring to another unit.) The talking control therapy was conducted by 26 health professionals, including 18 student volunteers.

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