| [ Summary ] |
Patient safety is an important issue that requires attention in those undergoing home hemodialysis (HHD) because this therapy involves the establishment of extracorporeal circulation under a special environment at the patient's home, in the absence of direct medical supervision. The results of a questionnaire survey performed to evaluate the safety of HHD revealed that most patients reported greater difficulty with mechanical than physical issues, although most issues could be resolved via telephone support. No serious accidents were reported.
However, if takes much time to resolve issues via telephone support, it is necessary to decide to perform autotransfusion and subsequently re-institute dialysis after resolution of the issue. Moreover, patients should be re-instructed immediately regarding puncture in cases of frequent puncture mistakes. Performing safe HHD requires maintenance of adequate medical facilities and close communication with the patient. |