Our Ten Year Journey

Josephine Chow, Lyndel Askins, Monique Borlace, Paula Donaldson, Keri-Lu Equinox, Debbie Fortnum, Serena Frasca, Kim Grimley, Janine Jeffries, Caroline McNaught, Jo-Anne Moodie, Melinda Tomlins, Rosie Simmonds, Tanya Smolonogov

Context

​Home dialysis has not only been shown to improve outcomes and quality of life for people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), it also results in better use of healthcare resources. The HOME Network (THN) has fulfilled its vision and mission to identify solutions and strategies to promote and enhance home dialysis. 

​Objective

​This paper will discuss the ten years journey and achievements of THN in making a difference to the renal communities, the patients to improve their care and experience in health.

Key Messages

THN has demonstrated excellent examples that illustrate the power and importance of partnership between consumer, professional and industrial organisations with a shared vision of increased awareness and improved access to home dialysis for patients with CKD.
The HOME Network has been working within three focus areas list below and has yielded a number of significant successes.

• Improved awareness, knowledge and training about home dialysis for healthcare professionals.
• Early and ongoing education for patients about home dialysis as part of a standard model of care. This includes greater awareness and implementation of early and ongoing education for patients with CKD.
• Support for new initiatives and technologies that strengthen home dialysis utilisation as part of establishing flexible and innovative models of care that strengthen support for people on home dialysis including their carers.

Conclusion

​The model of THN can be easily transferred to other professional bodies nationally and internationally.  THN will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate to support the push for best-practice care and better patient outcomes for Australians with CKD.

10 Year Anniversary

Our Members

Achievements

Busting the myths about Home Dialysis
​Idea: Develop an educational resource to address the common misconceptions about home dialysis
Outcome: The HOME Network myth-busting fact sheet
Impact: Used by units across the world to educate healthcare professionals and patients regarding the myths about home dialysis

Understanding Financial Support for Home Dialysis available across Australia
​Idea:  Highlight the different electricity and water rebates, and concessions and payments available across Australia for people who choose to dialyse at home
Outcome:  Financial support fact sheets for each state/territory
Impact:   Used by home dialysis units and social workers across Australia to help people on home dialysis to access all available entitlements

​​Idea:  Highlight the different electricity and water rebates, and concessions and payments available across Australia for people who choose to dialyse at home
Outcome:  Map of Australia comparing and contrasting the payments and rebates available in each state/territory
Impact:  Highlights the inequity of financial support across Australia for patients who choose to dialyse at home, adding to the debate regarding the financial burden of home dialysis

Ensuring Timely Education for People with CKD
​​Idea:  Develop a guideline to inform local education pathway development and care for people with CKD 
Outcome:  Kidney disease education pathway guideline
Impact:   Timely education supporting informed shared decision making for people with CKD throughout their journey, from initial diagnosis to end of life

Expanding the Reach of Support for People with CKD in Regional and Rural Areas
​​Idea:  Work with an industry partner to compile standardised resources for units wishing to implement telehealth support programs for their patients on home dialysis
Outcome:  The HOME Network telehealth tool kit
Impact:  Supporting units to provide remote support for people who choose to dialyse at home in regional and rural areas

Expanding the Reach of Support for People with CKD in Regional and Rural Areas
​​Idea:  Address the inconsistency and inequity between training for nurse home dialysis trainers and people with end-stage CKD
Outcome:  TEACH-PD online training package and pilot trial 
Randomised clinical trial now underway across Australia and New Zealand
Impact:   Standardising best-practice training for nurse trainers, enabling them to teach people with CKD to manage their PD effectively and safely at home