[Teledialysis in satellite hospital: 5-year practice in Saint-Brieuc]

Abstract

The ageing population, the need for patient care delivery closer to home and reducing travel cost and isolation and, not at least, optimising medical team activity lead to adapt treatment by hemodialysis. Telehealth is an alternative now enabled by recent regulatory changes. We summarize here the regulatory and organisational conditions in a monitored Medicalized Dialysis Unit (MDU) and report the local experience of Saint-Brieuc Hospital; the feasibility and functionality over time (5 years) of this approach was demonstrated in clinical practice with selected patients; over short-term and for a still-limited number of patients, its clinical results are comparable to those observed in a MDU running on a traditional regimen (weekly visits and on-call 24 hours on-site 24 of the nephrologist); the degree of patient satisfaction, some of them very old people, is high. Stability of communications mainly depending of the operators and audio-video quality needed for a friendly and efficient exchange, could be improved. Relevant analysis of cost is necessary to adjust compensation and to encourage the deployment of teledialysis. The development of this technique is suitable in order to maintain oldering populations close to home, to assure the fairest access to medical care and to serve its purpose, which is the care in all its dimensions.