Kidney Medicine | 2019
Together We Can Improve Outcomes in Kidney Failure: Examining Social Networks in Hemodialysis
Abstract
who help the patient as members of the patient’s social support network. The members of a dialysis patient’s social support network help the patient with multiple medications, dietary restrictions, financial assistance, and travel to medical appointments. In their study, Song et al set out to examine how a patient’s social support network strength and structure are associated with that patient’s perceived treatment burden. What is unique about Song et al is that they examined the role of each support network member and how these network members are interconnected. Previous research mainly studied the relationship between a patient and his or her primary support person or patients’ satisfaction with their social network. This research is particularly timely because robust social support networks are necessary for the treatment modalities with the best outcomes: kidney transplantation and home hemodialysis. Transplantation is the best example of the importance of support networks because not only are most living kidney donors members of patients’ social support networks, but also many transplantation centers require patients to have a social support network member to be placed on the transplant wait-list. Most home hemodialysis programs require a social support network member as well. Despite the crucial role of social support networks in the treatment of kidney failure, few studies have examined the strength and structure of these social support networks. In this issue, Song et al conducted a cross-sectional social network survey of a random sample of 20 incenter hemodialysis patients with high self-care and care coordination needs in a single hemodialysis center in Atlanta, GA, to assess patients’ social support networks and perceived treatment burden. This survey, in addition to measuring the Patient Experience With Treatment and Selfmanagement (PETS) questionnaire, also asked patients to list as many as 5 people that “he or she could turn to for actual help or for information to do self-care tasks or activities and coordination of any medical care during the past 6 months.” Patient participants were then asked demographic information about the people listed, how often