Mi-Kyung Song, PhD, RN, FAAN, a professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, has received a $3.9 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). The five-year funding will support a study examining the experiences of home dialysis patients and their family caregivers.
The research will be conducted in partnership with the University of Virginia and the University of California San Francisco. It aims to follow patient-caregiver pairs over time to gain insight into how they manage home dialysis therapy and how their daily lives change throughout treatment.
Home dialysis is often chosen by patients for its flexibility and compatibility with work or travel. However, many stop using this treatment within two years. Patients must handle complex procedures while also managing other health conditions. There is limited information about what these patients and their families experience day-to-day.
The study will use an experience sampling method to document daily life and collect data on health outcomes and quality of life for both patients and caregivers. Researchers will also conduct interviews with those who have returned to in-center dialysis to understand why they made that choice.
“We will uncover the everyday challenges and successes of those living with this treatment modality so that we can develop data-driven interventions to optimize the home dialysis experience,” Song says.
This project is funded by NIDDK under award number 1R01DK142681. According to the researchers, “The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.”
Emory’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing is recognized among top nursing schools in the United States, offering various programs including undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and non-degree options. More information about its offerings can be found at https://nursing.emory.edu/.
