Home dialysis needs promotion, acceptance: advocate

Chronic problems with access to dialysis in rural Newfoundland and Labrador could be alleviated by greater use of home-based treatment, an advocacy group says.

Home dialysis is a good option for many people in the province who are forced to travel to larger centres for treatment, said Theresa Horvath, branch co-ordinator with the Kidney Foundation of Canada.

"In my opinion, it's underutilized," Horvath told CBC News.

"There are different factors as to why, but one of the big things is awareness and the education as to the options that are available."

Dialysis — or the lack of access to it in particular areas of the province — has emerged as a prominent health issue in Newfoundland and Labrador over the last month, with residents in western Labrador and southwestern Newfoundland calling for dedicated units that are closer to home.

About 365 patients in the province currently rely on hospital-based dialysis to stay alive, and the number is growing.

Health Minister Ross Wiseman said government is looking at improving access to home dialysis.

"How do we provide a better education? How do we provide a better insight into the advantages of a home-based dialysis system? It's the same quality. It's safe," Wiseman said.

Wiseman said people can be trained to administer their own dialysis. About 50 patients handle their own dialysis at home, with nurses and technicians travelling to various communities to provide support.

Should the government expand its program, less stable patients would still have to travel to hospitals in Corner Brook and St. John's, Wiseman said.

Horvath said the issue is critical, as the number of dialysis patients has been increasing at rates between eight per cent and 10 per cent a year. As well, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest incidence rates in the country of two diseases that cause kidney failure: diabetes and heart disease.