Creating Technology to Empower Patients and the Home Dialysis Experience

End stage renal disease (ESRD) leading to the need for dialysis is a global problem. There is good evidence that Home dialysis, or dialysis outside of a hospital or a dialysis facility, is an excellent treatment option for many patients. In the United States CMS has stated that they would like 80% of ESRD patients to be treated with a transplant or home dialysis. But teaching and training patients to perform dialysis can seem daunting. Many patients are frightened of the process and worry that it will be too complex for them and their families. To address these concerns we created a new technology platform and application. This was done in conjunction with patients, clinicians, and our internal technology team. We provide a device to access the platform to every patient being trained, but they can access it on their personal device as well. Since deployment we have over 14,000 users on the platform and the number grows each month. In addition to adding features and customizing content, we have done a pilot using Virtual Reality to train patients on Home Dialysis. This has been well received and we hope to expand and use this technology for even more patients.