Is there a way to avoid, at least in Italy, the underutilisation of peritoneal dialysis?

Abstract

Despite the cost of peritoneal dialysis (PD) is almost anywhere in the world lower than that of hemodialysis (HD), and survival studies reveal similar results between the 2 methods, DP is a much less used technique. In the author's opinion one of the most important causes of this underutilisation in Italy is the poor knowledge of DP among nephrologists. It is thus suggested to give greater attention to the teaching of both the theory and practice of the method at Nephrology Specialization Schools and, where possible, to implement a turnover of nephrologists who manage patients in dedicated centers.