Kidney Week 2025 Early Program - Home Dialysis: Expanding Access to Home Therapies in 2025 and Beyond-Preparing Patients to Succeed on Home Dialysis Therapies: A Practical Approach to Patient Assessment, Training, and Support

Preparing Patients to Succeed on Home Dialysis Therapies: A Practical Approach to Patient Assessment, Training, and Support

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Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speakers introduce a practical talk on preparing and supporting people for home dialysis, emphasizing that nurses are the “heart” of successful programs. Nurse practitioner Lisa Kester and home hemodialysis nurse/clinical coordinator Sylvia Donato-Moore describe how home therapies can help people thrive—work, travel, and feel better—yet many start dialysis urgently with little pre-kidney-failure education, leading to fear, loss of control, and worse outcomes.<br /><br />They stress shared decision-making and repeated, bite-sized education sessions. Tools such as Home Dialysis Central’s “My Life Plan” help individuals clarify goals and match modalities, while reinforcing that switching modalities is possible if a first choice doesn’t work. A patient story and video highlight the importance of compassionate, relationship-based training.<br /><br />Sylvia outlines the referral-to-home process: gather background, ensure nephrologist support, invite the person (and care partner) for a clinic tour, then perform a critical home visit to assess space, water/drain access, lighting, and setup. Effective trainers need creativity, adult-learning skills, and assessment of vision, dexterity, and learning style. Competency is verified through teach-back, written/oral tests, skills checklists, and early at-home support with frequent check-ins and remote monitoring.<br /><br />To reduce attrition from home dialysis, they recommend strong interdisciplinary teamwork, early detection of problems (missed treatments, burnout), prescription adjustments, retraining when needed, and respite dialysis to relieve care partners.

Asset Subtitle

Lisa Koester Wiedemann

Meta Tag

Module DIAL

Speaker Lisa Koester Wiedemann

Keywords

home dialysis

home hemodialysis training

nurse-led dialysis programs

shared decision-making

pre-dialysis education

home visit assessment

remote monitoring and support