Management of center hemodialysis programs

Hemodialysis is the treatment that sustains the life and health of more patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) than any other therapy. There are approximately 232,000 people in the United States who receive this treatment, representing 89.5% of US dialysis patients (1). Most of these come to dialysis centers three times each week, where a multidisciplinary professional staff assesses their clinical status, and prescribes and administers dialysis and related therapies. The lifelong dialysis need, the frequency of treatment, and the need for patients to integrate dialysis into the fabric of their lives all make dialysis facilities somewhat unique in the medical care system. Patients often relate with dialysis staff more frequently and more intensely than they do with their family or close friends.