Physical, emotional and social adjustments to home dialysis

Forty home dialysis patients and their families were interviewed by means of a standard questionnaire to determine their physical, emotional, and social adjustment to treatment. The results indicated a reasonable level of health, particularly in patients under the age of 50 years. However, home dialysis produced considerable strain in the family, particularly in the dialysis partners. Home training programmes should provide appropriate learning and technical experience for the dialysis partners and continued support, including integrated medical and paramedical services, domiciliary visiting, and regular holidays. Limited-care dialysis facilities should be provided where home dialysis is impractical or becomes intolerable.