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Shared care

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Shared haemodialysis care gives you the opportunity to participate in any aspect of your dialysis treatment, with guidance and support from nursing staff. It allows you to choose which aspects of your care you would like to undertake, from small tasks such as taking your own blood pressure and weight, to any (or all) of the other dialysis tasks. The emphasis is on taking part and feeling involved at a level that suits you as an individual.

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You can learn to do as little or as many of the tasks as you wish and in any order. As you learn and become more confident, you and your nursing team decide when it is time for you to safely carry out the tasks unsupervised.

What aspects of my care can I take part in?

You can decide which skills you want to learn. Remember you choose how involved you want to become and you set your own pace, so at the beginning you may decide just to learn one or two basic skills and then at a later stage move on to learning more advanced skills such as inserting your dialysis needles.

Skills can vary depending on your treatment and where you’d like to start but can include:

 

Your nursing team would teach you to do the tasks you choose and check that you were competent and confident before you did anything on your own. Even then they would always be around for support and guidance, or to carry out the task if you didn’t want to or were unable to complete it.

Shared Care is not compulsory, and you can opt in and out whenever you see fit, there would never be any pressure put on you to complete all tasks or in a certain amount of time. Patient choice is central to Shared Care, you are completely in control.

How can Shared Care help me?

It can help you develop a more positive outlook and feel a greater sense of control if you understand and are more involved in your treatment. Patients who have been involved in shared haemodialysis care tell us:

Patients who share in their care comment that they feel a sense of achievement and community whilst in a Shared Care setting.  It is a chance to form friendships with others who are on this journey, and in time you could help others to become involved in their treatments.

Some people participating in Shared Care become completely independent and choose to do their dialysis at home. This is not the aim of Shared Care however.

Frequently Asked Questions

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How can I track my Shared Care progress?

You will be supplied with your own Shared Care Skills Record Book that you can fill in with your nurse. Here you can read information for all 14 skills and write down any notes during your training. You can also record/ sign off the dates with your nurse when you feel fully competent and confident with a task and can perform the procedure unsupervised. You don’t have to do the skills in any particular order so you can fill in your record book as you see fit.

Is it safe for me to do what the trained nurses do?

The staff will train you to do the tasks you choose and check that you are competent and confident before you do anything on your own. Even then they will always be around for support and guidance, or to carry out the task if you do not want to, or are unable to complete it.

Will I have to go home and dialyse if I learn everything?

No. You can choose to go home to dialyse if you wish, but you can also stay  on the dialysis unit. You may find that you learn from watching others in the unit, including patients, or asking questions of staff to explain what they’re doing whilst they work. In this way, you can gain knowledge a little at a time. This is a great way to learn about your treatment.

If I choose to go home to dialyse, will I still use the same machine I have been used to?

Yes. You will still be able to use the same machine that you’re familiar with whether on the unit or at home. If home haemodialysis is something you may wish to consider talk to your dialysis nurse.

Can I change my mind?

Yes. It is entirely your decision. It is important that you explain why, so that the staff understand and can support you in your choice.

How do I become involved in Shared Care?

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If you would like to become involved in your care, ask your nursing team about any parts of your treatment that you would like to learn more about. Start with a task that you are interested in or would find easiest. 

You can learn to do as many of the tasks as you wish and in no particular order. As you learn and become more confident, you and your nursing team will decide when you are experienced enough to safely carry out the procedures unsupervised.

Sometimes, staff may not be able to spend time teaching you, but you can learn from watching others, including patients, or asking questions and asking staff to explain what they are doing as they work. In this way, you can gain knowledge a little at a time.

Remember, each journey starts with a first step. For example if you wish to learn how to prepare your dressing pack for dialysis, you might start with asking where to collect the equipment from. This would be the first small step. The next time you come in for dialysis, you could collect it yourself and a member of staff could show you how to open it. This is another step forward. The next small step might be to be practise laying out the equipment, learning how to prepare your pack then becomes an easy and achievable task for you to undertake. You may not be able to learn every time you dialyse, but with each step forward you will make steady progress and will become more in control of your dialysis.

What are the benefits of participating in Shared Care?

  • It will help you to have a better understanding of dialysis and to feel more confident and in control of your condition.
  • You wil feel more independant as you slowly become an expert in your own care.
  • For certain tasks, you may feel more comfortable if performing these yourself, no one knows your body better than you.
  • Shared Care can be a stepping stone to Home Haemodialysis if this is something you wish to do but perhaps lack confidence to begin with. Home Dialysis allows you to fit your treatment around your work and social life.

What you need to succeed with Shared Care?

  • A willingness to learn
  • Patience with yourself; everyone is different and will pick up tasks at a different pace. Don't feel frustrated if others are learning quicker than you, as long as you are going comfortably at your own pace.

You can also click here to visit the Shared Haemodialysis Care website for more information and access to resources.