WCN25-3213 PATIENT-PROVIDER RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUST IS A PREDICTOR OF CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN PERITONEAL DIALYSIS PATIENTS FROM RURAL AND INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Patients from rural and Indigenous communities often choose peritoneal dialysis (PD) due to a lack of access and options for hemodialysis. They also have unique and specific needs around professional relationships to build trust and safety with healthcare teams. Studies show higher rates of PD-related complications, including bacterial peritonitis and associated mortality in this population. This retrospective study aimed to investigate factors underlying higher rates of PD peritonitis during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2021 and 2023 in a regional program with a high prevalence of PD patients from remote and Indigenous communities of the northern region of British Columbia, Canada.