Abstract: PUB072
Patient Interest in a Time-Limited Assisted Peritoneal Dialysis Program
Session Information
Category: Dialysis
- 802 Dialysis: Home Dialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors
- Zheng, Sijie, The Permanente Medical Group Inc, Oakland, California, United States
- Bhalla, Neelam M., The Permanente Medical Group Inc, Oakland, California, United States
Background
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) offers clinical and quality-of-life advantages but remains underutilized in the United States. Barriers to PD adoption include concerns regarding ability to perform dialysis independently, particularly among older patients and those with physical, cognitive, or psychosocial challenges. In a previously published pilot study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), a time-limited nurse-assisted PD program was shown to be feasible, well received by patients and families, and effective in enabling patients to remain on PD during periods of medical or social vulnerability. However, whether the availability of such a program influences initial dialysis modality choice has not been studied.
Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional survey of patients receiving dialysis education at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Participants were asked the following question: 'Will you be more likely to choose PD if there is a time-limited (3-month) assisted PD program in which a nurse goes to your home to help with PD as needed?' Responses were recorded as 'Yes' or 'No' and summarized using descriptive statistics
Results
From Aug 2025 to April 2026, a total of 99 patients completed the survey. Average age is 68 yr. (SD: 11), 43% female, average eGFR at time of education was 15 ml/min (SD: 4), Seventy-four patients (74.5%) reported that they would be more likely to choose PD if a time-limited assisted PD program were available, while 25 patients (25.5%) reported no change in modality preference. Overall, vast majority of respondents indicated increased willingness to select PD when short-term assistance was offered.
Conclusion
In this patient survey, the availability of a time-limited assisted PD program was associated with increased patient willingness to choose PD as a dialysis modality. These findings complement prior study demonstrating the feasibility and acceptability of assisted PD for PD retention. Together, these results suggest that time-limited assisted PD programs may serve not only as a retention strategy but also as an upstream intervention to increase adoption of PD. Prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the impact of assisted PD availability on dialysis modality selection and home dialysis uptake