Early in the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) containment strategy, people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were identified as extremely clinically vulnerable and subsequently asked to ‘shield’ at home where possible. The aim of this study was to investigate how these restrictions and the transition to an increased reliance on telemedicine within clinical care of people living with kidney disease impacted the physical activity (PA), wellbeing and quality of life (QoL) of adults dialysing at home (HHD) or receiving in-centre haemodialysis (ICHD) in the UK. Individual semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with adults receiving HHD (n = 10) or ICHD (n = 10), were transcribed verbatim and, subsequently, thematically analysed. As result of the COVID-19 restrictions, PA, wellbeing and QoL of people with ESRD were found to have been hindered. However, widespread support for the continued use of telemedicine was strongly advocated and promoted independence and satisfaction in patient care. These findings highlight the need for more proactive care of people with ESRD if asked to shield again, as well as increased awareness of safe and appropriate PA resources to help with home-based PA and emotional wellbeing.

Aims and objectives While haemodialysis is an effective treatment for end‐stage renal disease, the requirements and restrictions it imposes on patients can be onerous. The aim of this study was to obtain UK National Health Service patients’ perspectives on the challenges arising from haemodialysis with the intention of identifying potential improvements. Background Depression rates are particularly high in those with end‐stage renal disease; however, there is limited insight into the range of stressors associated with haemodialysis treatment within the National Health Service contributing to such high rates, particularly those of a cognitive or psychological nature. Design A qualitative approach was used to obtain rich, patient‐focused data; one‐to‐one semi‐structured interviews were conducted with twenty end‐stage renal disease at a UK National Health Service centre. Methods Patients were interviewed during a typical haemodialysis session. Thematic analysis was used to systematically interpret the data. Codes were created in an inductive and cyclical process using a constant comparative approach. Results Three themes emerged from the data: (i) fluctuations in cognitive/physical well‐being across the haemodialysis cycle, (ii) restrictions arising from the haemodialysis treatment schedule, (iii) emotional impact of haemodialysis on the self and others. The findings are limited to predominantly white, older patients (median = 74 years) within a National Health Service setting. Conclusions Several of the experiences reported by patients as challenging and distressing have so far been overlooked in the literature. A holistic‐based approach to treatment, acknowledging all aspects of a patient's well‐being, is essential if optimal quality of life is to be achieved by healthcare providers. Relevance to clinical practice The findings can be used to inform future interventions and guidelines aimed at improving patients’ treatment adherence and outcomes, for example, improved reliable access to mental health specialists.

Background When people with chronic kidney disease reach kidney failure, renal replacement therapy is usually required to improve symptoms and maintain life. Although in‐centre haemodialysis is most commonly used for this purpose, other forms of dialysis are available, including home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. Objectives We aimed to explore the experiences of adults living with chronic kidney disease who were either approaching the need for dialysis or had reached kidney failure and were receiving a form of dialysis. In particular, we explored how different forms of dialysis affect their quality of life, wellbeing, and physical activity. Methods Individual semistructured interviews were conducted with 40 adults with kidney failure, comprising four groups (n = 10 each): those receiving in‐centre haemodialysis, home haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis, or predialysis. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, thematically analysed, and then composite vignettes were subsequently developed to present a rich narrative of the collective experiences of each group. Findings Compared with adults who were predialysis, quality of life and wellbeing improved upon initiation of their home haemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Conversely, minimal improvement was perceived by those receiving in‐centre haemodialysis. Low physical activity was reported across all four groups, although those receiving home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis reported a greater desire and ability to be physically active than those in‐centre. Conclusion These findings highlight that dialysis modalities not requiring regular hospital attendance (i.e., home haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis) improve independence, quality of life, wellbeing, and can facilitate a more physically active lifestyle.

Possible impairments of memory in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were investigated in two experiments. In Experiment 1, in which stimulus words were presented visually, participants were tested on conceptual or perceptual memory tasks, with retrieval being either explicit or implicit. Compared with healthy controls, ESRD patients were impaired when memory required conceptual but not when it required perceptual processing, regardless of whether retrieval was explicit or implicit. An impairment of conceptual implicit memory (priming) in the ESRD group represented a previously unreported deficit compared to healthy aging. There were no significant differences between pre- and immediate post-dialysis memory performance in ESRD patients on any of the tasks. In Experiment 2, in which presentation was auditory, patients again performed worse than controls on an explicit conceptual memory task. We conclude that the type of processing required by the task (conceptual vs. perceptual) is more important than the type of retrieval (explicit vs. implicit) in memory failures in ESRD patients, perhaps because temporal brain regions are more susceptible to the effects of the illness than are posterior regions.

Cognitive functions such as attention and memory are known to be impaired in End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), but the sites of the neural changes underlying these impairments are uncertain. Patients and controls took part in a latent learning task, which had previously shown a dissociation between patients with Parkinson's disease and those with medial temporal damage. ESRD patients (n=24) and age and education-matched controls (n=24) were randomly assigned to either an exposed or unexposed condition. In Phase 1 of the task, participants learned that a cue (word) on the back of a schematic head predicted that the subsequently seen face would be smiling. For the exposed (but not unexposed) condition, an additional (irrelevant) colour cue was shown during presentation. In Phase 2, a different association, between colour and facial expression, was learned. Instructions were the same for each phase: participants had to predict whether the subsequently viewed face was going to be happy or sad. No difference in error rate between the groups was found in Phase 1, suggesting that patients and controls learned at a similar rate. However, in Phase 2, a significant interaction was found between group and condition, with exposed controls performing significantly worse than unexposed (therefore demonstrating learned irrelevance). In contrast, exposed patients made a similar number of errors to unexposed in Phase 2. The pattern of results in ESRD was different from that previously found in Parkinson's disease, suggesting a different neural origin.