2026 ISPD Position Statement on tracking and reporting loss from PD therapy

Abstract

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is being promoted worldwide, but nearly half of all patients who start PD will no longer be on therapy at two years, representing an important barrier to maximizing the safe and effective use of the therapy. Loss most commonly occurs due to HD transfer, death, or the receipt of a kidney transplant, but can also occur because patients recover kidney function, transfer to another dialysis program, or are lost to follow-up. Historically, the term “technique failure” has been used to describe loss from PD, but there has been no consistent definition, and as a consequence, it has been unclear whether the observed variability in the reported risk is related to differences in patient characteristics, practice patterns, or simply differences in the way it was defined, measured, analyzed, or reported. The International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) convened a working group to provide recommendations around key issues related to measuring time on PD therapy. These included standardizing definitions for causes of loss, as well as their measurement, analysis, and reporting. Key performance indicators were proposed for the purpose of benchmarking and to facilitate quality improvement and research. The target audience of this document includes physicians and other healthcare providers, dialysis programs, researchers, and national registries.