Patient Education and Selection of Peritoneal Dialysis

Abstract

Our first study was a systematic review that explored the relationship between patient-targeted educational interventions and the selection and use of PD. Of 3540 citations screened, 15 studies met our inclusion criteria. Patient targeted educational interventions were associated with a 2-fold increase in the odds of choosing PD. Our second study used data from this randomized trial to explore if the observed increased likelihood of choosing self-care dialysis resulted in increased likelihood of receiving self-care dialysis. In this clinical trial, seventy patients were randomized to receive either standard care or the educational intervention in 2003. The proportion of patients who received self-care dialysis as their first treatment in extended follow-up was not significantly different between the intervention group and the usual care group. In summary, this thesis work found a strong association between patient-targeted education interventions and the subsequent selection of PD, the most common form of self-care dialysis.