DIALYSIS TRAVEL DISTANCE AND MODALITY IN METROPOLITAN AND REGIONAL VICTORIA
Dr Katherine Downe, Dr SVEN JEAN TAN1, Professor NIGEL TOUSSAINT1, Mr BRETT SOBEY1
1Royal Melbourne Hospital , Melbourne, Australia
Aim: To assess travel distances from patients’ primary residence to their satellite dialysis unit and evaluate differences in dialysis modality between metropolitan and regional areas in Victoria.
Background: People in regional and rural areas commonly have poorer health outcomes compared to residents in metropolitan areas. Travel to satellite dialysis can be burdensome for patients and home dialysis therapies have significant health benefits, in addition to reduced healthcare cost.
Methods: Patients ≥ 18 years old undertaking dialysis between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021 affiliated with The Royal Melbourne Hospital were included. Data collected included patient’s primary residence, age, gender, dialysis modality and satellite dialysis unit. The distance between a patient’s primary residence and satellite dialysis unit was calculated. The patients’ primary residence was used to determine the Australian Statistical Geography Standard Remoteness Area (ASGS-RA) classification.
Results: Metropolitan patients (n=232) had a one-way distance to dialysis of 10.7±0.8 km, inner regional patients (n=162) 12.0±1.5 km (p=0.17 compared to metropolitan) and outer regional patients (n=85) 16.3±2.5 km (p=0.01). Metropolitan patients had the highest proportion of home haemodialysis patients 7.0%, compared with 5.5% in inner regional and 5.9% outer regional patients. Peritoneal dialysis was more prevalent for both inner regional and outer regional Victoria, 19.1% and 18.8% respectively, compared to 13% of the metropolitan dialysis patients.
Conclusions: Regional dialysis patients travel further to satellite dialysis units than metropolitan patients in Victoria. There is a greater proportion of home haemodialysis in metropolitan dialysis patients but a greater proportion of peritoneal dialysis in regional patients.
Biography:
Katherine is a final year renal advanced trainee planning on working as a nephrologist in regional Victoria. She has interests in home dialysis therapies and rural medicine. Katherine has previously worked at Ballarat, Geelong, Alice Springs, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Bendigo.