Expanding fair access to home dialysis for Veterans
Official title: Drive Home: Developing Strategies for Equitable Veteran Access to Home Dialysis
Funded at Philadelphia VA Medical Center · NIH-11163360 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try peer support and clinic changes to help Veterans with kidney failure get safe, affordable dialysis at home.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Philadelphia VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2HX003850-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11163360 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans with kidney failure (end-stage renal disease) who receive care through participating VA medical centers and are considering or eligible for home dialysis.
✕Less likely to help
People without kidney failure or Veterans who are medically unable to do home dialysis or lack necessary home support are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
What this research studies
You may be asked to share your experiences with dialysis and to help shape support programs that make home dialysis easier. The team will visit VA dialysis clinics, talk with Veterans and staff, and map current care practices and barriers. They will design and pilot peer support and other clinic-level changes to improve how home dialysis is offered. Lessons from the pilot will guide larger clinic-based trials to increase safe, equitable access to home dialysis across the VA.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, more Veterans could choose home dialysis, which may improve quality of life, reduce travel burden, and lower costs.
How similar studies have gone: Home dialysis and peer-support approaches have shown promise in other settings, but applying them across VA clinics to address racial and access gaps is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Philadelphia VA Medical Center
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Reddy, Yuvaram Nellore Vilambi — Philadelphia VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Reddy, Yuvaram Nellore Vilambi
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
How dialysis facility growth affects care for people with end-stage kidney disease
New research will examine whether the spread of dialysis centers and new treatment technologies benefit patients with end-stage kidney disease, and whether benefits reach all communities.
-
MOVE Trial: Tailored motivational support to help African Americans stick with dialysis
A study tests a customized motivational interviewing approach to help African American dialysis patients stay adherent to their treatment, aiming to reduce hospitalizations and improve health.
-
Blood sugar monitoring for people on maintenance dialysis
This project tests how continuous glucose monitoring can better track blood sugar in people on dialysis to improve diabetes care and prevent complications.
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Quality of life for people on home dialysis and their family caregivers
This grant studies how living with home dialysis affects daily life and the well-being of patients and their family caregivers.
-
Patient-provider conversations and unequal access to home dialysis and kidney transplant
This project explores how conversations between doctors and patients affect why some Black and Hispanic people with kidney disease don’t get home dialysis or preemptive kidney transplants as often as White or Asian patients.
-
CHOOSE Home: Using community health workers to boost home dialysis and social care in CKD
A real-world trial tests adding community health workers to an interdisciplinary CKD clinic to help patients access home dialysis options.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.