Usefulness of Central Concentrate Delivery System for Health Care Workers: A Questionnaire Survey

Background: In South Korea, the Central Concentrate Delivery System (CCDS), which centralizes the preparation of dialysate with concentrate solutions for multiple patients and distributes it to each dialysis machines, was introduced in the early 2000s. However, there was a lack of research conducted from the perspective of the healthcare workers. Therefore, this study revealed the usefulness of CCDS for healthcare workers. Methods: Among the dialysis hospitals currently using CCDS, questionnaires were sent to 60 dialysis facilities whose address and contact address were confirmed. Results: Responses from 35 institutions were received and analyzed. Of the institutions that responded, 21 (60%) were primary healthcare facilities, 4 (11%) were secondary healthcare facilities, and 7 (20%) were tertiary institutions. The average usage period of CCDS across all facilities was 8.1±4.2 years. The most common reasons for introducing CCDS were for reducing healthcare workers’ loading and creating a pleasant environment. Economic feasibility was second reason for introducing CCDS. In terms of healthcare workers’ workload after the implementation of CCDS, none of the respondents reported an increase. 65% stated that there had been a decrease, and 12% reported a substantial decrease. This indicates that overall, the workload has significantly reduced. When asked if they had ever had an infection-related problem in dialysis system, 2 of the 35 institutions surveyed reported, had an infection problem while using CCDS, and the remaining institutions reported no infection problem. Conclusion: The CCDS appear to be labor-saving and environmentally friendly in the dialysis facilities without increasing infection-related problem. Further study is needed to determine the effect and safety of CCDS.