Systematic Evaluation of a Provincial Initiative to Improve Transition to Home Dialysis Therapies

The need for individualizing teaching and assurance of knowledge transmission to patients training for home dialysis

Patients have varied learning styles and this has implications for home haemodialysis (HHD). Assessment tools directed toward understanding these styles remains understudied. As a consequence, this may lead to substandard retention rates or adverse events in HHD programs. As part of a continuous quality improvement initiative we have aimed to improve our understanding of patient learning styles and consequently tailor home dialysis training to individuals. To objectively determine knowledge translation and comprehension, irrespective of learning styles, we have introduced an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). This assessment tool allows for further refinement of educational priorities by highlighting both deficiencies and strengths. Thereafter, an exit OSCE ensures patients attain an acceptable standard to complete home haemodialysis independently. We hope this tool will help shape future training criteria for HHD programs and consequently reduce adverse event rates.

Quantifying Missed Opportunities for Recruitment to Home Dialysis Therapies

Background:

Despite the recognized benefits of home therapies for patients and the health care system, most individuals with kidney failure in Canada continue to be initiated on in-center hemodialysis. To optimize recruitment to home therapies, there is a need for programs to better understand the extent to which potential candidates are not successfully initiated on these therapies.

Objective:

We aimed to quantify missed opportunities to recruit patients to home therapies and explore where in the modality selection process this occurs.

Design:

Retrospective observational study.

Setting:

British Columbia, Canada.

Patients:

All patients aged >18 years who started chronic dialysis in British Columbia between January 01, 2015, and December 31, 2017. The sample was further restricted to include patients who received at least 3 months of predialysis care. All patients were followed for a minimum of 12 months from the start of dialysis to capture any transition to home therapies.

Methods:

Cases were defined as a “missed opportunity” if a patient had chosen a home therapy, or remained undecided about their preferred modality, and ultimately received in-center hemodialysis as their destination therapy. These cases were assessed for: (1) documentation of a contraindication to home therapies; and (2) the type of dialysis education received. Differences in characteristics among patients classified as an appropriate outcome or a missed opportunity were examined using Wilcoxon rank-sum test or χ² test, as appropriate.

Results:

Of the 1845 patients who started chronic dialysis during the study period, 635 (34%) were initiated on a home therapy. A total of 320 (17.3%) missed opportunities were identified, with 165 (8.9%) having initially chosen a home therapy and 155 (8.4%) being undecided about their preferred modality. Compared with patients who chose and initiated or transitioned to a home therapy, those identified as a missed opportunity tended to be older with a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease. A contraindication to both peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis was documented in 8 “missed opportunity” patients. General modality orientation was provided to most (71%) patients who had initially chosen a home therapy but who ultimately received in-center hemodialysis. These patients received less home therapy–specific education compared with patients who chose and subsequently started a home therapy (20% vs 35%, P < .001).

Limitations:

Contraindications to home therapies were potentially under-ascertained, and the nature of contraindications was not systematically captured.

Conclusions:

Even within a mature home therapy program, we discovered a substantial number of missed opportunities to recruit patients to home therapies. Better characterization of modality contraindications and enhanced education that is specific to home therapies may be of benefit. Mapping the recruitment pathway in this way can define the magnitude of missed opportunities and identify areas that could be optimized. This is to be encouraged, as even small incremental improvements in the uptake of home therapies could lead to better patient outcomes and contribute to significant cost savings for the health care system.

Trial Registration:

Not applicable as this was a qualitative study.

Dietary Adherence, Self-Regulatory Fatigue and Trait Self-Control Among Chinese Patients with Peritoneal Dialysis: A Cross-Sectional Study

PURPOSE

Little is known about factors that predict dietary adherence among Chinese patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. We investigated whether self-regulatory fatigue and trait self-control influence dietary adherence among Chinese patients with peritoneal dialysis.

METHODS

A total of 192 Chinese patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis were recruited at two peritoneal dialysis centers. The dietary adherence, trait self-control and self-regulatory fatigue of these patients were assessed using self-administered questionnaires. Clinical data were extracted from the hospital medical records. The significance of several social demographic factors on dietary adherence was analyzed using One-way ANOVA was used to analyze, whereas the association between dietary adherence and self-regulatory fatigue as well as trait self-control were analyzed using Pearson correlation. The independence association between dietary adherence and other influencing factors was assessed using Multivariable linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

We found that peritoneal dialysis patients only moderately adhere to dietary prescriptions. The top three least adherences were observed for salt intake (1.89±0.36), face of difficulty (2.86±0.26) and fluid restriction adherence intake (2.97±0.30). Multivariable linear regression analysis revealed that education level (β=0.339, P<0.001), residence (β=-0.151, P=0.015), self-regulatory fatigue (β= -0.648, P<0.001), and trait self-control (β=0.118, P=0.022) were independent predictors of dietary adherence.

CONCLUSION

Education level and residence strongly influence dietary adherence among Chinese peritoneal dialysis patients. On the other hand, Self-regulatory fatigue and trait self-control are independent predictors of dietary adherence among peritoneal dialysis patients. These findings can guide the enhancement of dietary adherence of peritoneal dialysis patients.