Today’s Kidney Diet Cookbooks
Get free kidney-friendly recipe collections from DaVita dietitians.
Home Dialysis
Enhance your quality of life by dialyzing at home. Learn about home dialysis by speaking with a DaVita representative.
About Home Dialysis
Peritoneal Dialysis (PD)
PD is a needle-free treatment that you can perform at home during the day or even at night while you sleep by using the lining of the abdomen to filter waste from the blood.
Some of the potential benefits of PD include:
- Control of your own treatment and a more-flexible schedule
- Functions more like natural kidneys
- Supports preservation of remaining kidney function, leading to better clinical outcomes
- Better transplant success rate2
- Better blood pressure control5
- Improved sleep reported6
Home Hemodialysis (HHD)
HHD works much like in-center hemodialysis but is done at home with a smaller, more user-friendly machine that cleans toxins from your blood. With the help of a care partner to perform the treatments, there are many potential benefits HHD patients can experience, such as:
- The ability to dialyze in the comfort of home
- Greater ability to travel
- Better transplant success rate2
- Shorter recovery time after treatments2
- Fewer medications required3
- Better blood pressure control5
- Improved sleep reported6
Home Dialysis Care Partners
Care partners play an important role in the treatment of home patients. Learn the basics of being a care partner so you can help take care of your loved one and yourself.
Who Could Be a Care Partner?
Explore whether being a care partner may be right for you.
Tips and Resources
Get tips and resources to help you provide a good quality of life to your loved one on dialysis.
Managing Your Stress
Find ways to cope and manage your stress in a healthy way.
Connect with Other Care Partners
Use the forums on myDaVita to connect with other care partners.
Home Dialysis Basics
Getting Started
1.
Talk with your doctor
Even if you are currently receiving dialysis treatment in-center, home dialysis could still be an option for you. Speak with your doctor candidly about your interest in home dialysis. Ask about the potential benefits and any medical risks, as well as your treatment options and how your choice could affect your lifestyle and overall health. If you are currently treating on dialysis, learn more here.
2.
Start home dialysis training
Once you and your doctor decide that home dialysis is right for you, you and your care partner (a friend or family member) will
start a comprehensive safety and training program with your care team. Training is customized to meet your specific needs, and
will provide you the education, tools and support needed to stay healthy and safe.
3.
Download the DaVita® Care Connect app
DaVita home dialysis patients can download the free DaVita® Care Connect smartphone app to stay connected to their care team and dialysis resources. With the app, you can send secure, direct messages to your care team; have telehealth appointments; see your lab results; connect with other patients and DaVita’s support team through virtual support groups; and more.
4.
Get your home ready
Because you'll perform treatments from home, you'll need to make room to store equipment and supplies. Although the
equipment and supplies you need vary based on your choice of treatment, it's essential to make sure you have a comfortable
and sanitary environment dedicated for your treatments.
5.
Receive ongoing care
Even though you do not have to treat at a center, it’s important to understand that you're never alone when you do home dialysis.
You will maintain regular contact with your doctor and dialysis nurses who will closely monitor and track your care. In most cases,
you'll also make a monthly visit to meet with your health care team and talk regularly by phone about any issues or concerns.
Home Dialysis Myths Debunked
Myth #1: “I can’t have pets while on home dialysis.”
Truth: You don’t have to give up your beloved companions, but they should not be present in the room where you dialyze while you connect or disconnect to the machine.
Myth #2: “I don’t have time. Home dialysis is a big time commitment.”
Truth: By not traveling to and from a dialysis center for each treatment, home dialysis patients can get more time back in their day.
Myth #3: “Home dialysis can cause infections.”
Truth: Proper training and hand-washing techniques can help you avoid infections.
Myth #4: “I’m too old to do home dialysis.”
Truth: There is no age cap or requirement to do home dialysis.
*Service provider and modality selection are choices made exclusively between the patient and nephrologist
TAKE A DEEPER LOOK AT HOME DIALYSIS
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1. PD: Burkart J and Golper T. www.uptodate.com. Patient information: Peritoneal dialysis (Beyond the Basics). HHD: Galland R et al. Kidney International. 2001;60:155-1560. | 2. PD: Molnar, MZ et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 7: 332–341, 2012. HHD: Weinhandl, E et al. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2012 May; 23(5):895–904. | 3. PD: Renal Resource Center. An Introduction to Peritoneal Dialysis. www.renalresource.com. HHD: Jaber BL et al. Am J Kidney Dis. 2010;56:531-539. Nocturnal: Buqeia A et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 Apr;4(4):778-783. | 4. Nephrology News & Issues, Sept. 2018. | 5. PD: St Peter WL et al. BMC Nephrol. 2013; 14:249. HHD: FHN Trial Group. N Engl J Med. 2010 Dec;363(24):2287-2300. Nocturnal: Ranganathan D et al. Indian J Nephrol. 2012 Sep-Oct;22(5):323-332. | 6. PD: Theofilou P. J Clin Med Res. 2011 May 19;3(3):132-8. HHD: Jaber BL et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2011;6(5):1049-1056. Nocturnal: Buqeja A et al. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2009 Apr;4(4):778-783.