KidneyViews
Welcome to the non-profit Medical Education Institute's Home Dialysis Central blogspot! This page is an umbrella under which Home Dialysis Central staff and guests can share their perspectives about home therapies and what we need to do to raise their profile and enable more people to use them. We'd like your comments as well! Bookmark our site and like us on Facebook! Help us tell the world about home dialysis.
We have a "lifestyle bible" for sale that can help you learn about dialysis options. Help, I Need Dialysis! We also have prepared some slideshows on how to have a good future with kidney disease.
What’s in a Name? Person-centered Dialysis Language
(12 comments)
We've all heard that sing-song phrase as kids, right? Too bad it’s never been true. Names can hurt. Language, especially medical language, is often not neutral...
Published on 09/18/2014 by Dori Schatell, MS, Executive Director, Medical Education Institute
The Global Environmental Impact of Dialysis—Go Green for Planet Earth
(2 comments)
No single healthcare individual exerts a greater impact on the environment than does a dialysis patient: recurrently, relentlessly, on an ongoing basis...
Published on 09/10/2014 by Dr. John Agar
Tags: green, environmental impact, dialysis,
Are We Limiting Access to Home Dialysis for Patients with Impairments?
(4 comments)
If we say we’re assessing each patient’s candidacy for home dialysis, we need to stop setting limits on patients who may learn a little differently or may take a little more effort.
Published on 09/04/2014 by Beth Witten, MSW, ACSW, LSCSW
Tags: home dialysis, care, impairments, training,
Compliance is a Dirty Word
(16 comments)
A power differential can be a dangerous thing. And, requiring “compliance” in healthcare instantly creates such a power differential.
Published on 08/28/2014 by Dori Schatell, MS, Executive Director, Medical Education Institute
Tags: patient-centered care, patient engagement, care,
Will Starting Dialysis “Fix” Heart Dysfunction?
(2 comments)
“…my eGFR is between 12 and 14%, but my nephrologist feels it is not accurate. I've read that Cystatin C is a better indicator of kidney function, especially in women. Is this so?"
Published on 08/21/2014 by Dr. John Agar
Tags: acute kidney failure, dialysis, chronic kidney disease,
"My Labs are Great! But…”
(6 comments)
At least every week or two, a dialysis consumer on Facebook says, “my labs are great, but…” To me, it appears that what is going on is too great of a focus on the numbers—and not nearly enough on the individuals or the likely causes of their symptoms
Published on 08/14/2014 by Dori Schatell, MS, Executive Director, Medical Education Institute
Involuntary Discharge: What Happened to the Oath “First, Do No Harm”?
(4 comments)
The ESRD Network Annual Report from 2011 (the most recent one) reported that IVD complaints had increased 25% in 2011 from 2010. It further reported that facilities had involuntarily discharged 442 patients that year, an increase of 13% from 2010.
Published on 08/06/2014 by Beth Witten, MSW, ACSW, LSCSW
Tags: involuntary discharge, care, patient rights,
How do I Communicate the Benefits of Home HD to my Patients? A View from New Zealand
(6 comments)
Over half of all dialysis patients in the country are on home dialysis. In my hospital, this proportion is somewhat lower, at around 45%. I want to say outright that this is not achieved by rationing of dialysis to get a healthier patient pool.
Published on 07/31/2014 by Dr. Mark Marshall
Back to School: Hemodialysis University
(0 comments)
The ISHD is hosting the 4th Hemodialysis University at Chicago. Meant for the busy practitioner as well as nephrology fellows, … get the latest updates in the field of hemodialysis from a group of renowned hemodialysis experts in an informal setting.
Published on 07/24/2014 by Dr. Madhukar Misra
Keeping Home Patients Home: Home HD After PD
(1 comments)
Peritoneal dialysis, while the ideal first dialysis modality, has a limited functional duration for most patients … sooner or later the majority of patients will run into problems with inadequate dialysis.
Published on 07/18/2014 by Dr. John Agar