Sustained Increase in Peritoneal Dialysis Prevalence through a Structured PD Initiation Service

A structured peritoneal dialysis (PD) initiation service provided by a dedicated team of nephrologists, interventionists, and PD nurses, taking patients through the stages of predialysis education and monitoring, dialysis catheter insertion, dialysis initiation, and follow-up in the immediate post-dialysis initiation period, can go a long way in expanding PD prevalence. The authors noticed a rapid expansion of their PD program following the introduction of such a service, and they share their experience in this article. A multidisciplinary team providing 1-stop coordinated care may help in alleviating the differences in patient selection criteria, minimize delays in PD catheter insertions, ensure timely initiation of dialysis, reduce the need to start dialysis urgently, actively identify and sort any teething issues, enhance patients’ confidence, and reduce technique failures.