Does this sound the norm for all of you? I find it extremely intrusive and I brought up to dr and he said she needs to come to make sure there is nothing that may cause problems with pd…Ok mind you this is same nurse who while training kept closing the pin on me and they thought my catheter stopped working until I caught the problem…same nurse who had issues with machine and couldnt figure out what to do until I advised her how to fix ,So now she is going to come to my house and see if I have dust in my room…This is just so not right and curious if you all had to deal with this
I had to have the inspection done of my home before i started PD. i thought it was a little odd as well, but the inspection went quickly, and fortunately they found no problem with me doing my PD treatments in my home. my dialyis case worker also came, with my PD nurse.
Hi Piglets,
It’s pretty common that the clinic will want to see the environment that you’re planning to dialyze in. The nurse might suggest how you can better protect yourself against germs (e.g., move a plant out of the bathroom, keep pets out of your bedroom at night…). Seeing your home gives her a chance to visualize you so when you call, she can have an idea of what you’re talking about with regard to your set-up. It can actually help you down the road.
Also, the nurse may be able to suggest how and where you can store your supplies, where you might want to set up your area to do an exchange, which vents to close (or fans to turn off) when you’re connecting to your cycler to reduce the likelihood of peritonitis.
The new ESRD regulations that took effect 10/14/08 are very clear that a home visit is required unless a patient refuses to allow it. I would look on the home visit as an opportunity to show your nurse and anyone else who comes along how and where you live so you can get the most from them. The home visit should allow them to better understand you and any potential problems you may have with home dialysis so they can be resolved before they become real problems.