Of the 3 available chronic dialysis modalities, home hemodialysis is the most uncommon, supporting approximately 2% of patients receiving chronic dialysis in the US vs 12% peritoneal dialysis and 86% in-center hemodialysis. Most patients receiving home hemodialysis currently in the US are prescribed 4 to 5 sessions per week, each lasting 2.5 to 4 hours.1
This low use of home hemodialysis stands in contrast to multiple surveys of nephrologists who believe that home hemodialysis provides multiple advantages鈥攊ncluding better control of volume and uremia in a more gentle fashion鈥攁nd would often choose this modality for themselves should they develop kidney failure and were unable to receive a transplant. Patients receiving home hemodialysis tend to be younger, at least partly employed, less likely to have diabetes as their cause of kidney failure, and more likely to be White than those receiving in-center hemodialysis.1