Typical day

[student]

Hello,

I am a design student and I am currently designing a dialysis center for my Capstone project. I was hoping someone could walk me through a typical day of treatment. What do you do as soon as you walk in the door up until you leave? Are you able to eat and drink during treatments? I just want to try and make a design that helps the whole process go as smoothly as possible to maximize efficiency for staff and hopefully help to make at least the atmosphere more comfortable for patients. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated for what you would like to see in your facility.

Thank you for your time

[Whamo]

First, of all, thanks for thinking up this project.  I can only describe my kidney center.  I've never gone anywhere else.  First you enter a lobby.  It's a waiting area for the caregivers and drivers (some are too ill to drive to dialysis) and those waiting for appointments.  One door leads to the "Home Dialysis" offices.  This is where doctors meet with these patients.  Another, similar door, leads to a conference room.  Patients have annual meetings with the nephro team to discuss their care.  Then there is a door with a lock on it.  The camera lets the desk person see your photo, and if you are authorized to enter, she buzzes it.  You walk down a hallway, and on the left is a small waiting room.  It's got three lounge chairs, a sink to wash you fistula, a scale to measure weight, a microwave, and a water machine that produces hot and cold water.   The hot water is used to make beef broth, which they serve when dialysis patients crash, or get too dry from the treatment.  On the right is an office area where the lead nurses and administrative types hang out.  Behind them are a few rooms with beds for special patients.  Then the building opens up, to a lot of open space, enough for four rows of five chairs.  Each chair has a dialysis machine the size of a small refrigerator next to it.  Five chairs face each other, with a "look-thru" dividing wall between the two sections.  There is about five years between each row.   This is to give the nurses, clean-up crew, doctors, and computers, room to move about.  Above each dialysis patient chair is a television, and the patients are given headphones so they can watch television or listen to the radio stations.  Most patients wear jackets or blankets to keep warm, as the building temperature is kept cool, to prevent infections.  Personally, I like to read when I use my catheter for treatment, but find it more difficult when I use the fistula.  If you're lucky you have someone near by that you can have a good conversation with, but I'm kind of stuck in a corner, next to people that aren't too talkative.   Some are too sick to talk.   Some are in their own world.   Some speak another language.   You get the idea. 

My only suggestion for improving the place would be to have larger windows of the trees and grass outside.  Nobody likes staring at bare walls for four hours.

[lmunchkin]

I think some patients would like someone (spouse) or a loved one to stay with them while they dialysize.  But would really like it if the centers did Nocturnal.  So many centers do not offer nocturnal where these patients can really get GOOD cleaning at a slow pace.  I don't know how many people would love D'ing at night so as to free up their days.

We do D. at home, so I don't really have anything more to add.  But those 2 things above that I listed, Im sure some will agree to.

lmunchkin
 

[ToddB0130]

I found a clinic that does nocturnal and am really happy. It's not the center "right around the corner" from where I live .... but worth the extra ten miles or so trip .....  I don't know when I'll be starting D,  but am praying all of the nighttime spots are not filled when it's my time.  They seemed to feel that won't happen.  And they have real beds !!!  I live alone, so longer, more gentle in center nocturnal will be my best bet (unless I can eventually convince the staff at the center and my nephro that I can handle home hemo on my own).

[lmunchkin]

Not to intrude on this thread, but Todd, there are a few people on IHD, who are doing it alone at home, and are very successful at it.  When it comes to that time, Im sure they will guide you through it.  But hopefully, it is FAR DOWN THE ROAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lmunchkin