Computer interaction: demographics, adequacy, and nutrition

Over 700 people attending the Opening Session of the Fourteenth Annual Peritoneal Dialysis Conference participated in the computer interaction exercise as keyboard responders. Responders were 50.5% nurses and 40.4% physicians. Of these, 70.4% were from North America and 19.6% were from Europe. Only 9.5% had been involved in chronic peritoneal dialysis for less than one year. Over half (56%) worked in programs with more than 30 chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. Their own personal choice of dialysis therapy was a form of chronic peritoneal dialysis in 82%. Serum albumin concentration was indicated as the main monitor of nutritional status by 79.1%. Dietary protein intake ranging from 1-1.2 was considered the preferred goal by 84.4% of responders, even though the majority of chronic peritoneal dialysis patients probably do not achieve dietary protein intake in this range. A minimum weekly KT/V urea of 1.7 was chosen as a minimum target by 53.4%. An increase in exchange volume was the most frequently chosen approach to the large, anuric, low-peritoneal transporter. Numerous other questions dealing with adequacy and nutrition were posed to the audience, and the findings are summarized herein.