People with kidney failure have the option to choose a dialysis treatment or transplant or to choose conservative management, which may include palliative or hospice care until natural death occurs. There are guidelines that suggest that people who aren’t sure if they want to do dialysis to try it for a month or so and stop if the benefits don’t outweigh the burdens. The National Kidney Foundation has brochures on this topic:
- If You Choose Not to Start Dialysis Treatment - https://www.kidney.org/sites/default/files/11-10-0330_ifyouchoose.pdf
- When Stopping Dialysis Treatment Is Your Choice - https://www.kidney.org/sites/default/files/docs/stopdialysis.pdf