International Journal of Nursing Research

Objective To explore the correlation between the discharge readiness of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and their home dialysis outcomes within one month after discharge, and to provide a basis for developing targeted pre discharge intervention strategies. Methods Convenience sampling was used to select 78 patients who underwent catheterization and regular follow-up at our peritoneal dialysis center from January 1 to June 30, 2025 as the study subjects. On the day of discharge, the patient was evaluated using the Discharge Readiness Scale (RHDS) and divided into a high readiness group (≥ 7 points) and a low readiness group (<7 points) based on the average score (7 points). Compare the differences in peritoneal dialysis related infections, blood pressure compliance rate, nutritional indicators, medication adherence (MMAS-8 scale), and caregiver burden (Zarit caregiver burden scale) between two groups of patients one month after discharge. Results A total of 78 patients were included, with 61 cases (78.21%) in the high readiness group and 17 cases (21.79%) in the low readiness group. One month after discharge, one case of peritoneal dialysis related peritonitis and two cases of outlet infection occurred in the low readiness group, while none of them occurred in the high readiness group. The blood pressure compliance rate of the high readiness group (82.18%) was slightly higher than that of the low readiness group (77.82%). The serum albumin levels of both groups of patients improved compared to before discharge, but there was no statistical difference between the groups. The medication adherence score of the high readiness group (7 ± 0.83 points) was significantly higher than that of the low readiness group (6 ± 1.15 points) (P=0.013). The caregiver burden score of the high readiness group (38 ± 3.16 points) was lower than that of the low readiness group (41 ± 6.12 points). Conclusion The discharge readiness of peritoneal dialysis patients is significantly correlated with the efficacy of home dialysis during the transition period. A higher level of discharge readiness can help reduce the risk of infection, improve medication adherence, and alleviate the burden on caregivers. Clinical practice should attach importance to and systematically evaluate patients' discharge readiness, implement individualized and structured pre discharge education, in order to enhance patients' self-management abilities and improve long-term prognosis.

Peritoneal dialysis; Discharge readiness; Transitional care; Self-management; Complication; Caregiver burden