Table 5.

Elements of monthly telemedicine ESRD visit

Step 1: Patient and home caregivers contacted by secure link to the care team (includes: physician, nurse, dietician, and social worker)

Step 2: Review of past month’s care (includes: general well-being, specific complaints, problems with home dialysis [machine functioning], review of dialysis prescription, and parameters)

Step 3: Review of specific parameters (includes: review of vital signs [BP, weights], ultrafiltration, nutrition, laboratory parameters [anemia, electrolytes, bone, and mineral metabolism], and if applicable control of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease and risk factor managements)

Step 4: Review of general well-being (includes: assessment of depression, quality of life)

Step 5: Goal-setting (includes: discussion of short and long-term care goals for the patient)