Survey of Peritoneal Dialysis Patients' Challenges and Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multicenter Study in the United States

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic adjustments were made to peritoneal dialysis (PD) practices in the outpatient units. These were decisions made by dialysis providers, clinical staff and governments with input from patient organizations in some instances. The patient perspective regarding these changes during the pandemic has not been explored. We sought to evaluate patient experiences and perceptions of the challenges they faced, institutional adjustments, as well as their mental health during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of PD patients across four home dialysis units affiliated with four large academic centers who were on PD between March 2020 and March 2021. Results: 98 participants completed the survey across the 4 outpatient PD clinics. Over 95% of patients did not have to change their home accommodations during the pandemic, and over 80% did not have issues getting their dialysis supplies and medications delivered. Ninety-three percent of patients felt comfortable coming to the dialysis unit if they needed to during the pandemic. Almost all patients (98%) felt supported by their dialysis staff during the peak of the COVID-19 and had modified PHQ-2 (91%) and GAD-2 (96%) scores not consistent with depression or anxiety. Less than 10% of patients considered changing their dialysis modality. Conclusions: The adjustments made by the dialysis units during the peak of the pandemic were effective in maneuvering the challenges facing our patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, patients who remained on PD were satisfied with the quality of care, felt supported by the unit staff, and did not report feeling anxious or depressed.