Supporting and maintaining the frail patient on long-term renal replacement therapy

Abstract

The number of frail patients reaching end-stage kidney disease is increasing. They have a high level of comorbidity and symptom burden which need to be considered when making management plans. For those who choose renal replacement therapy, it is important to establish goals and ceilings of care and to provide holistic care focusing on optimising quality of life. Advance care planning is the process of documenting the patient's preferences for their treatment in the event they lose capacity to make decisions about their treatment.

Keywords: Frailty; cognitive impairment; haemodialysis; peritoneal dialysis; supportive care.