Dialysis at home could be made easier with new system

Morning North7:45Dialysis at home

A program in Sault Ste. Marie is piloting technology for home dialysis. We spoke with David Berry, a medical advisor to the project.

A pilot project in northern Ontario is working to improve home dialysis for patients with kidney failure.

The Sault Area Hospital has partnered with the Toronto-based company, eQOL, which designed a system that tracks the results of the dialysis and reports them to the hospital in real time.

What the eQ Connect system does:

eQ Connect, a mobile technology solution for independent/home dialysis, aims to simplify and reduce the intimidation that patients experience with the self-care process [of dialysis]. Its iPad and web-based applications provide enhanced connectivity, access to resources, and process management, which will promote a shift from in-centre care to in-home care.

-Source: MaRS Innovation

The head of the Algoma Regional Renal Program said this system could make a big difference in the north.

"That extra support can make the difference between somebody being able to live in their community at a distance from Sault Ste. Marie on home dialysis versus failing at that modality, which, in our area, generally means you have to move to Sault Ste. Marie," David Berry said.

Patients in some northern communities have to travel huge distances to get dialysis. Right now, some people are getting treatments at home, but it can lead to mistakes when they are phoning in results into their health care team.

Plus, they still have to travel to appointments to troubleshoot issues.

Addressing the challenges of 'remoteness'

Binh Nguyen of eQOL said they started looking at how technology could make the process easier.

Now, 60 patients have been recruited to expand the project.

Nguyen picked Sault Area Hospital because of the vast area it serves.

"If we're able to address the challenges of remoteness, we can take that and apply these solutions in more densely populated areas."

Berry added the tool could help doctors catch potential issues before there's a problem.

"We should be trying to minimize the health care footprint on people's lives and this is where this kind of tool comes in," he said.

The pilot project will also work with patients in southern Ontario.

The findings of the venture should be available next year.