A hospital outpatient clinic for dialysis needed to teach the relatives of patients how to perform Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis. In people with kidney failure, this form of dialysis allows removal of soluble waste from the body via a catheter inserted into the lining of the abdomen. The fluid inside the peritoneum is exchanged with fresh dialysis solution four times daily. Once the catheter has been inserted, the process may be done at home, so that the patient does not need to visit the clinic as often. However, there are serious risks of infection if strict hygiene practices are not followed, as well as risks of dehydration or overhydration. The procedure therefore included precautions to ensure hygiene, instructions on how to perform health checks and information on how to select the appropriate concentration solution for subsequent exchanges.
The patient for this procedure was my (now late) father. In consultation with the staff of the clinic I created the procedure to help myself and the family learn the process, and to train additional carers.
The clinic was also given complementary copies of the procedure to train other families and carers.
Please note that this is a sample only and the process may not be in accordance with current practices.
