Project on increasing home dialysis awarded € 3 million: An innovative process for improved renal care

Increasing home dialysis treatment with a person-centered approach provides medical and economic benefits, as well as enhancing both independence and quality of life for kidney patients. The project’s participants include patient associations, businesses, academia, and industry from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Home dialysis brings many benefits

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Despite demonstrated benefits and national targets, the proportion of home dialysis has remained consistently low in the Öresund-Kattegatt-Skagerrak region, but with significant variations.

This project aims to increase the use of home dialysis as an independent treatment method through cross-border cooperation and innovative care solutions. Carrying out dialysis at home is expected to improve health, increase participation in working life, and reduce healthcare costs and environmental impact. The project is also expected to promote the development of services that add value, as well as product innovations within the field of home dialysis and other forms of long-term care.

The EU programme Interreg Öresund-Kattegatt-Skagerrak is the main financial backer but the project partners in the individual countries are also contributing.

- This shows that they see great benefits and feasibility in the three-year project, says Håkan Billig, principal investigator  

A focus on person-centred care

The home dialysis project is based on person-centred care. Person-centred care is an ethical approach and a way of working that focuses on the person receiving care, not just on the disease. Person-centred healthcare relies on evidence and has been shown to reduce costs while improving the quality of care. Promoting health and preventing disease and ill health based on the individual’s opportunities and needs is the foundation, and technology and incentives can be used to help achieve ethical, sustainable, cost-effective, high-quality care.

Multi-level research

Needs assessments and tests in the home environment will be carried out to map the barriers and challenges involved in home dialysis, while information from national quality registers of chronic kidney disease will be compiled to describe the life situation and well-being of home dialysis users. The project will also analyze policies, legislation, and cultural differences in the participating countries in order to identify opportunities for increased use of home dialysis.

A Scandinavian model

The research is expected to result in concrete innovations for home dialysis. The project is based on partnership and collaboration, and sharing knowledge and experiences across borders will help to create a Scandinavian model for home dialysis and person-centred care at home.