The experiences of adults with end-stage renal disease who dialyse at home: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND

Where available, some patients with end-stage renal disease choose to independently dialyse at home rather than in-centre. This reportedly offers patients increased lifestyle flexibility but can lead to an increased burden on patients.

AIMS: To understand the lived experiences of patients undertaking dialysis at home to add to the current body of knowledge and make recommendations for future research and practice.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of electronic databases was completed to identify all eligible qualitative primary research studies. Thematic synthesis of the data was then performed.

FINDINGS: From 325 participants across 10 international studies, eight themes were identified, including the importance of support networks and integration with daily life.

CONCLUSION

Patients can feel both positively and negatively towards home dialysis. There are opportunities to improve care by increasing access to more sources of support and encouraging patients to continue with activities that are important to them.