COVID-19 and dialysis

People receiving dialysis should still turn up for their usual treatment. It is very important that you remain well, and receive their full treatment. All dialysis units are working to put the best plans in place to keep patients safe.

If you are unwell, particularly if you have a fever, please do not attend your dialysis unit, but ring first. The nursing staff will then direct you as to the appropriate action.

All dialysis units are working out responses based on local capacity and logistics. Please talk to your dialysis nurses to find out how your unit is responding. You should be prepared that in some circumstances you may not end up having dialysis in your regular unit. Please think about your transportation options.

We advise everyone to a call ahead and check if they really need to be there in person. Most clinics are moving to online/telephone clinics, unless it is necessary to see a patient. Consider whether appointments can be postponed - for many kidney patients this is not safe, and they still need to have a review, even by phone. Do not let COVID-19 put you off, these appointments are very important.

Please be aware that your specific doctor may not available, but health services will provide appropriate clinical advice for consultation as needed.

Prescriptions are being posted out or faxed to pharmacies to ensure supply of medications, you can speak with your doctor to organise this.

You will still need to do blood tests as it is impossible to tell how our kidneys are going otherwise. Blood collection centers remain open with many not asking patients with signs of coronavirus, if you are concerned, call ahead to find out what they are doing. In some cases, they may be able to arrange someone to come to your house.

Should you need to go to a pathology center, hospital or GP, it is important to maintain social distancing and good hygiene.

Under certain conditions, deceased and living kidney transplant programs have resumed. There are many factors that local units are to consider prior to resuming transplant services that include; transportation, tissue typing, allocation, hospitals and local area health positions, DonateLife staffing and waiting list management. Contact your renal unit for how this will affect you. Read the AHPPC statement.

Our transplant houses in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth are ready and waiting to receive patients from rural communities. Read more.

The Department of Health has advised that there are no current shortages or supply issues medicines. People with medical conditions are advised to order and obtain your medicines and supplies as usual. There is no need to stockpile.

The Australian Governments Home Medicine Service for PBS prescriptions for eligible customers. This temporary service allows for the subsidy of home delivery of medications. Importantly this service removes the need for a patient to visit the pharmacy in person. Learn more here.

The evidence regarding ibuprofen and COVID-19 risk and outcomes is not definite, but nevertheless people living with kidney disease should still proceed with caution due to the risk of drug-related acute kidney injury.

In addition, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can affect kidney function in people with chronic kidney disease and these should only be used under direction of your doctor.

Currently, there is no shortage of dialysis supplies. The primary supplier of dialysis, Baxter, has assurred us that the supply chain remains secure. Baxter has also proactively taken further step to ensure the safety of dialysis fluids. All essential employees are routinely temperature checked and measures have been taken to seperate employees where possible.

Additionallty, Baxter has also introduced increased safety measures to protect the well-being of home patients including:

- Strengthening supplies of ancillaries
- Strict safety procedures for home delivery
- Managing stockpiling to avoid product shortages

In addition, Baxter is offering a fee waiver in relation to Baxter’s Sharesource 2.0 Platform until 31 October 2020. This offer is applicable to all customers in Australia and New Zealand, including those currently using Sharesource as well as new customers. Learn more.

At this time take all precautions that are recommended regarding COVID-19 including opting for contactless delivery, pay via card instead of cash, or ask a friend or family member to pick up the food and drink on your behalf.

There is no indication that takeaway food is unsafe now, however, as always, purchase food from a reputable food outlet.

It's also a good time to think about eating healthy food, takeaway often has a lot of salt, sugar and fat, learn more here.

We strongly recommend that person have their symptoms confirmed with the GP. It is important they call the local GP and discuss this with them before presenting at the clinic. They may need to be tested.

It is also important you make sure you always maintain a safe distance from that person and practice social distancing as per the recommendations until it is known whether they are infected or not.

If you identify that someone you live with or have come in contact with is infected with COVID-19 you should immediately notify your GP, kidney doctor or renal unit and receive further specialised advice.

Currently, there is no recommendation to wear a face mask if you are not sick or have not been recommended to wear one by a medical professional. Surgical masks in the community are only helpful in preventing people who have coronavirus disease from spreading it to others. If you are well, you do not need to wear a surgical mask. There is little evidence that widespread use of surgical masks in healthy people prevents transmission in public.

What will help protect you is social distancing and good hand hygiene.

As the number of coronavirus cases rise across Australia, the level of anxiety within the community is increasing. We have a number of tips for looking after your mental health on our website, in addition, the Australian Psychological Society has resources for coping during this crisis.

- Tips for coping with social isolation

- Tips for coping with coronavirus anxiety