Renal Disease: Key Messages

Researchers have established the feasibility of using home telehealth for management of renal disease.

Very little information is available on home telehealth for renal disease. Unknowns include satisfaction, uptake, clinical outcomes, and effects on the health care system.

Economic analyses cannot take place until clinical efficacy has been established.

Our search excluded studies of home telehealth that required a provider to be present in the patient’s home. The striking shortage of studies on home telehealth without in-person support suggests that home telehealth for renal disease may be more appropriate as a supplement to home care than as a substitute for it. Interviews with patients suggest that home telehealth services may be especially helpful during initiation of dialysis and periods of clinical instability.