A systems methodology for the development and evaluation of a telematic home haemodialysis service

The advent of telematic technology offers the prospects of developing home haemodialysis as a viable treatment for end-stage renal disease. In this paper, the role of systems methodology in devising such a service is discussed. It is shown how systems modelling enables the problem to be analysed, user requirements to be identified, the system architecture to be specified and a basis provided for evaluation. The approach adopted to system evaluation is described and a framework is produced. The current status and key issues are discussed.