Preparing patients for peritoneal dialysis.

When told of their need for dialysis, patients often cannot accept it and are fearful toward dialysis. Pre-dialysis counseling programs help patients to face dialysis, to make the right choice of dialysis modality, and to prepare themselves for life on dialysis. Clear explanations of peritoneal dialysis (PD) help patients choosing PD.

Rehabilitating a dialysis patient.

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients undergoing dialysis face much stress and have to make adjustments in their lives. To optimize health and improve quality of life, rehabilitation of renal patients is a necessity. Renal rehabilitation includes physical, social, psychological, and vocational elements.

Delaying initiation of dialysis till symptomatic uraemia--is it too late?

Background: The optimal timing of initiating renal replacement therapy in patients with chronic renal failure remains uncertain. The primary objective of our study is to determine whether delaying dialysis initiation as a result of patients' choice may have any impact on survival in subjects with end-stage renal disease.

Methods: We prospectively studied the clinical outcome during the first year of all consecutive patients (n=233) deemed suitable for peritoneal dialysis (PD) after pre-dialysis counselling over a 2-year period from 2002 to 2004.