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A multi-stakeholder forum outlined practical, community-driven solutions to overcome disparities and expand the use of Home Dialysis across Europe. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study published in June 2025 issue of BMC Nephrology to evaluate the underuse and variability of home dialysis across Europe and to identify modifiable barriers contributing to inequitable access.  

They organized a multi-disciplinary, multi-organizational policy forum during the EuroPD meeting in Bruges in November 2023, involving key stakeholders to address access disparities in home-based therapies and recognized 3 main themes—Dialysis Provider Motivation, Patient Empowerment, and Training and Workforce Issues—through a steering group. The participants were divided into breakout groups, assigning 1 theme per group, instructed each to prioritize up to 3 actions, and later refined these actions into proposals for the kidney failure community.  

The results showed that 112 participants attended the forum, including patients (5%), doctors (57%), nurses (13%), industry representatives (7%), and others (18%). Proposed actions included: conducting a detailed European audit on financial disincentives impacting decisions by stakeholders; encouraging national professional societies to address low adoption of home-based therapies; fostering collaboration to assist smaller, less experienced centers; improving access to assisted peritoneal dialysis (PD); increasing patient involvement at all advocacy levels; enhancing patient empowerment through transparent information; requiring home dialysis training in national education programs; advancing careers for sub-specialized doctors and nurses in home dialysis; and expanding availability of high-quality training resources.  

Investigators concluded that the kidney failure community identified actionable strategies to enhance equitable access to home dialysis, with stakeholder commitment to advancing these initiatives. 

Source: https://bmcnephrol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12882-025-04188-y