Retrospective review of assisted peritoneal dialysis: The Alberta, Canada experience

BackgroundAssisted peritoneal dialysis (PD), where trained health care providers assist individuals with PD in their home, allows individuals, who would otherwise be ineligible, to pursue home dialysis. Alberta Kidney Care South started an assisted PD program in 2011 using licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and switched to health care aids (HCA) July 2018.MethodsA retrospective chart review to describe characteristics of assisted PD patients and their outcomes for each of the models of health care. The primary outcome was the duration of assisted PD from initiation to exit. Secondary outcomes included reasons for exit and the proportion of patients who performed independent PD.ResultsA total of 135 patients received assisted PD, mean age 70.7 ± 11.2 years and 44.4% (60/135) women. The average time to exit from assisted PD was 366.2 ± 378.1 days. There was no difference between time in PD between LPN (1.89 [1.02, 3.85] years) and HCA (2.09 [0.89, 3.26] years), <i>p</i> = 0.98. Main reasons for exit from assisted PD included death 30.4% (41/135) and switching to hemodialysis 26.7% (36/135). Total of 29 patients (21.5%) continued PD independently for an additional 495 ± 399 days. There was no difference in reasons for exit, <i>p</i> = 0.90 or peritonitis rates between the two care models, <i>p</i> = 0.60.ConclusionAssisted PD allows patients to maintain independence in the community and facilitates the uptake of independent PD in a significant proportion. Utilizing an HCA model offers a cost-effective alternative while still providing high-quality care.