Table 2.

Main themes with subthemes and exemplary quotes of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis (HD) patients.

Theme complexes	Main themes	Subthemes	Quotation (Participant Role, Sex, Age)
Concerns about Being a ‘High-Risk Patient’	Lack of information related to COVID-19 implications for high-risk patients	Need for more information related to COVID-19 and special measures for high-risk patients	“During the doctor’s consultation, we did not explicitly discuss possible consequences of the virus for high-risk patients or whether I should comply with special measures. It would be good if someone addressed whether I have to pay special attention to certain things.” (PD patient, female, age 52)
		Deal with fear of the unknown that puts me at risk	“Dealing with the fear was the biggest challenge for all of us because a virus massively restricted our lives. Nobody told me to do this and that in my situation to protect myself. I have no idea how bad this virus is and how it endangers me.” (PD patient, male, age 50)
		Isolation as a preventive measure because of fear of COVID-19	“I moved into an empty house and lived alone for three months just to be safe. I have a family, a wife, and two children who can bring the virus home. I saw nobody, met nobody, nothing at all. I hardly went out on the street, either.” (PD patient, male, age 50)
Having Reduced Fear of COVID-19 as a HD Patient	Greater concern about personal difficulties related to COVID-19 or kidney disease	Fear that family gets infected	“What scared me mostly was not being able to see my kids and friends.” (HD patient, female, age 69)
		Confidence in overcoming COVID-19	“I’m a high-risk patient, but just because I’m a dialysis patient does not mean that if I get COVID, it has to end badly. I’ve had the swine flu before; I was isolated then; everyone ran around with masks, but I do not think my body’s defenses are that bad.” (HD patient, female, age 65)
		Exacerbation of depression because of social isolation	“I have had depression for a long time, and the symptoms slowly started to get stronger again because of always staying at home and avoiding social contact.” (HD patient, male, age 25)
		Relative degree of concern over COVID-19 vs. established kidney disease	“I was more relaxed about [being a high-risk patient] because I knew my kidneys would fail at some point, mainly because they have been bad for a long time. The virus [coronavirus] damages the kidneys even more. It cannot get much worse for me.” (HD patient, male, age 25)
		Economic impact as concern	“I was more worried about the economic situation than about myself. Wearing masks and disinfecting your hands from the beginning before going to a shop would have prevented so many unemployed people and companies that had to close.” (HD patient, female, age 65)
Is Home Dialysis the Best Choice During COVID-19?	Home therapy kept patients away from contact with the hospital, increasing anxiety	Negative impact of isolation on psychological well-being	“I felt that if this virus infected me, I could die. I experienced generalized anxiety and hysteria. […] Returning home (after self-isolation) was a dangerous decision, but I consciously took this risk because being alone negatively affected me.” (PD patient, male, age 50)
		Panic about not being transplanted and the negative impact on health	“I’ve been on a kidney waitlist for three and a half years, and my worst stressful situation was that the transplant program stopped. I am panicking that everything will be postponed, and I will have to wait even longer.” (PD patient, female, age 57)
	Autonomy of PD treatment as advantage	Confidence in knowing to perform PD and receiving support from the PD team	“After being on PD for almost three and a half years, I know if I have any problem with PD or something is not working, I can call and go to the unit. I was not afraid that I would not get any information. [...] I think it was easier to dialyze from home and not risk of getting infected somewhere.” (PD patient, male, age 64)
		Possibility to dialyze at home with strict hygienic conditions	“I can isolate my entire therapy process from the outer world and have total control over it. I can disinfect the devices and myself. I make sure that the medicines are stored properly and cleanly. I’ve seen doctors and nurses not always disinfecting their hands when they should.” (PD patient, male, age 50)
Changes in Clinical Routine	Limitations and changes during dialysis routine upset patients and their families	Continuous mask use, not being able to eat during HD sessions considered annoying	“The mask bothers me because then I cannot breathe or talk. The exhaled air you breathe in is unhealthy because you get tired. So, this is not an ideal solution, but we have no other choice.” (HD patient, female, age 65)
		Prohibition of visitors at the hospital generated discomfort	“My wife is so upset because she is not allowed to come into the dialysis unit. I am not afraid because you can keep in touch a bit via the internet so that you can see each other.” (HD patient, male, age 49)
Positive Psychological Elements to Overcome Crisis	Alternative routines to promote well-being	Keeping physically and mentally active	“I do a lot of sports in the fresh air, and it works luckily quite well. Luckily, I am also allowed to work, and that is how time goes by faster. That is the way I do not get bored.” (HD patient, male, age 26)
		Learning new skills to communicate with others	“The opportunity that lockdown has brought me is that only now have I experienced social media and Google. It became clear to me what these tools are for. I exercise with a YouTube video where a trainer exercises with you. This was something I could do at home.” (PD patient, female, age 62)
	Cultivating positive emotions to transform suffering	The possibility to work, and do sports outdoors as positive aspect	“I am at the office, and I can ventilate it; it works quite well. Also, in public transport with the mask, I go to only a few stations.” (HD patient, male, age 26)
	Seeing the glass half full	Family support as positive aspect during crisis	“I just could not see my daughter and son. However, we were very lucky. After all, we might see each other again because our house has a huge garden. Then we met outdoors, keeping our distance. We could at least see each other.” (HD patient, female, age 69)
		Trying to adjust to the adverse situation (resilience) psychologically	“For me, fear is something that inhibits me and makes me insecure. I am trying to reduce that. I always make sure that I can master the current situation as well as possible, which often does not work, but I can get something good out of it every day in my current situation.” (PD patient, female, age 57)
	Vaccination as hope for high risk patients	Waiting to be vaccinated to visit family	“It has been a year and a half now that I have not seen my sister. However, I am not going anywhere. First, I want to get the vaccine for safety.” (HD patient, female, age 54)