scholarly journals Canadian Society of Nephrology COVID-19 Rapid Response Team Home Dialysis Recommendations

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205435812092815 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Michael Copland ◽  
Juliya Hemmett ◽  
Jennifer M. MacRae ◽  
Brendan McCormick ◽  
...  

Purpose of program: This paper will provide guidance on how to best manage patients with end-stage kidney disease who will be or are being treated with home dialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources of information: Program-specific documents, pre-existing, and related to COVID-19; documents from national and international kidney agencies; national and international webinars, including webinars that we hosted for input and feedback; with additional information from formal and informal review of published academic literature. Methods: Members of the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) Board of Directors solicited a team of clinicians and administrators with expertise in home dialysis. Specific COVID-19-related themes in home dialysis were determined by the Canadian senior renal leaders community of practice, a group compromising medical and administrative leaders of provincial and health authority renal programs. We then developed consensus-based recommendations virtually by the CSN work-group with input from ethicists with nephrology training. The recommendations were further reviewed by community nephrologists and over a CSN-sponsored webinar, attended by 225 kidney health care professionals, for further peer input. The final consensus recommendations also incorporated review by the editors at the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease (CJKHD). Key findings: We identified 7 broad areas of home dialysis practice management that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) peritoneal dialysis catheter placement, (2) home dialysis training, (3) home dialysis management, (4) personal protective equipment, (5) product delivery, (6) minimizing direct health care provider and patient contact, and (7) assisted peritoneal dialysis in the community. We make specific suggestions and recommendations for each of these areas. Limitations: This suggestions and recommendations in this paper are expert opinion, and subject to the biases associated with this level of evidence. To expedite the publication of this work, a parallel review process was created that may not be as robust as standard arms’ length peer-review processes. Implications: These recommendations are intended to provide the best care possible during a time of altered priorities and reduced resources.

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205435812096895
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Moran ◽  
Sean Barbour ◽  
Christine Dipchand ◽  
Jocelyn S. Garland ◽  
Michelle Hladunewich ◽  
...  

Purpose of program: This article will provide guidance on how to best manage patients with glomerulonephritis (GN) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sources of information: We reviewed relevant published literature, program-specific documents, and guidance documents from international societies. An informal survey of Canadian nephrologists was conducted to identify practice patterns and expert opinions. We hosted a national webinar with invited input and feedback after webinar. Methods: The Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) Board of Directors invited physicians with expertise in GN to contribute. Specific COVID-19-related themes in GN were identified, and consensus-based recommendations were made by this group of nephrologists. The recommendations received further peer input and review by Canadian nephrologists via a CSN-sponsored webinar. This was attended by 150 kidney health care professionals. The final consensus recommendations also incorporated review by Editors of the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease. Key findings: We identified 9 areas of GN management that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) clinic visit scheduling, (2) clinic visit type, (3) provision of multidisciplinary care, (4) blood and urine testing, (5) home-based monitoring essentials, (6) immunosuppression, (7) other medications, (8) patient education and support, and (9) employment. Limitations: These recommendations are expert opinion, and are subject to the biases associated with this level of evidence. To expedite the publication of this work, a parallel review process was created that may not be as robust as standard arm’s length peer review processes. Implications: These recommendations are intended to provide optimal care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our recommendations may change based on the evolving evidence.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 205435812110534
Author(s):  
Abdullah Alabbas ◽  
Elizabeth Harvey ◽  
Amrit Kirpalani ◽  
Chia Wei Teoh ◽  
Cherry Mammen ◽  
...  

Purpose of the program: This article provides guidance on optimizing the management of pediatric patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) who will be or are being treated with any form of home or in-center dialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goals are to provide the best possible care for pediatric patients with ESKD during the pandemic and ensure the health care team’s safety. Sources of information: The core of these rapid guidelines is derived from the Canadian Society of Nephrology (CSN) consensus recommendations for adult patients recently published in the Canadian Journal of Kidney Health and Disease ( CJKHD). We also consulted specific documents from other national and international agencies focused on pediatric kidney health. Additional information was obtained by formal review of the published academic literature relevant to pediatric home or in-center hemodialysis. Methods: The Leadership of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nephrologists (CAPN), which is affiliated with the CSN, solicited a team of clinicians and researchers with expertise in pediatric home and in-center dialysis. The goal was to adapt the guidelines recently adopted for Canadian adult dialysis patients for pediatric-specific settings. These included specific COVID-19-related themes that apply to dialysis in a Canadian environment, as determined by a group of senior renal leaders. Expert clinicians and nurses with deep expertise in pediatric home and in-center dialysis reviewed the revised pediatric guidelines. Key findings: We identified 7 broad areas of home dialysis practice management that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) peritoneal dialysis catheter placement, (2) home dialysis training, (3) home dialysis management, (4) personal protective equipment, (5) product delivery, (6) minimizing direct health care providers and patient contact, and (7) caregivers support in the community. In addition, we identified 8 broad areas of in-center dialysis practice management that may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) identification of patients with COVID-19, (2) hemodialysis of patients with confirmed COVID-19, (3) hemodialysis of patients not yet known to have COVID-19, (4) management of visitors to the dialysis unit, (5) handling COVID-19 testing of patients and staff, (6) safe practices during resuscitation procedures in a pandemic, (7) routine hemodialysis care, and (8) hemodialysis care under fixed dialysis resources. We make specific suggestions and recommendations for each of these areas. Limitations: At the time when we started this work, we knew that evidence on the topic of pediatric dialysis and COVID-19 would be severely limited, and our resources were also limited. We did not, therefore, do formal systematic review or meta-analysis. We did not evaluate our specific suggestions in the clinical environment. Thus, this article’s advice and recommendations are primarily expert opinions and subject to the biases associated with this level of evidence. To expedite the publication of this work, we created a parallel review process that may not be as robust as standard arms’ length peer-review processes. Implications: We intend these recommendations to help provide the best care possible for pediatric patients prescribed in-center or home dialysis during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time of altered priorities and reduced resources.


1977 ◽  
Vol 5 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 11-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley A. Smoyak

Gaming-simulation is being developed for use in a variety of aspects of health care. A mental health diagnostic and therapeutic application is described for problems in parent-teenager relations; it features gaming, videotaping of interactions, and extensive discussion. Two applications which elucidate the nature of discord between couples and two applications for work-group problems are also described Gaming-simulation is used in basic and continuing education of health professionals for such issues as problems of dying patients and the aged, and prevention of coronary heart disease. Patients rights issues provide a potential focus for opening dialogues between patients and professionals about all facets of health and illness care.


1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 248-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Flanigan ◽  
Linda A. Hochstetler ◽  
Donita Langholdt ◽  
Victoria S. Lim

Purpose To develop diagnostic and treatment strategies for peritoneal dialysis catheter exit-site and tunnel infections. Population All consenting peritoneal dialysis patients performing home dialysis through the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Home Dialysis Training Center. This is a state-owned teaching hospital serving a rural population of approximately one million people in Iowa and western Illinois. Methods Four dialysis nurses collected information on a prospectively designed data acquisition tool. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups, intraperitoneal vancomycin plus oral rifampin or oral trimethoprim/ sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX), and their initial antibiotic therapy determined by that assignment. If the infection was gram -negative, the initial antibiotics were discontinued and an alternative therapy begun. Therapy was initiated by the nursing staff and required physician notification within 48 hours. Results There were 126 recorded catheter infections (exit-site, tunnel, or cuff infection) resulting in a rate of 0.67 episodes per patient year of exposure. Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from the majority (60%) of these events. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the next most common isolate and accounted for 21% of infections. Rubor, dolor, and turgor are the classic signs of inflammation, and at least one of these was present in 79% of the episodes. Isolated pericatheter erythema or serous discharge was associated with a minimal risk «2%) of catheter loss. The presence of a purulent exit-site discharge identified patients who had a 30% chance of failing systemic antibiotic therapy and a 20% risk of catheter loss. The concurrent presence of exit-site tenderness or swelling identified the most severe infections. Staphylococcal infections responded equally well to local cleaning and vancomycin plus rifampin (86% cured) or oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (89% cured) therapy. Gram-negative infections were frequent (27%) and appeared to respond best to a combination of tobramycin and ciprofloxacin. Conclusion Exit-site/tunnel inflammation is detectable by patients and can be used to guide therapy. An isolated finding of erythema or serous discharge is not indicative of an acute infection and may not require systemic antibiotics. The presence of purulence identifies patients at risk for catheter loss, and these patients benefit from systemic therapy. The combination of a purulent exit-site discharge plus pericatheter tenderness or swelling identifies patients likely to suffer treatment failure and require subsequent catheter removal. The cure rate of gram -positive catheter infections treated with vancomycin plus rifampin was indistinguishable from that achieved with oral trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (p = 0.99).


1997 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 479-483 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrina Bannigan

Evidence-based health care can be defined as an approach to health care that involves finding and using up-to-date research into the effectiveness of health care interventions to inform decision making (Entwistle et al, 1996). For many occupational therapists, the practicalities of keeping up to date with the best research evidence is difficult; however, through the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD), the NHS Research and Development (R&D) Programme is aiming to improve the availability of high quality research evidence to all health care professionals. The NHS CRD carries out and commissions systematic reviews. Systematic reviews are a means of pulling together large quantities of research information and are considered to be one of the most reliable sources of information about effectiveness (Chalmers and Altman, 1995). The NHS CRD also disseminates the findings of systematic reviews, one method of which is through the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE). The relevance of systematic reviews to the clinical practice of occupational therapists is explored in this paper using two examples: a poor quality and a high quality systematic review identified from the abstracting process for DARE. Both reviews are directly relevant to occupational therapy, being about sensory integration and falls in the elderly respectively. The implications of these reviews for evidence-based practice in occupational therapy are discussed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Giuliano Brunori ◽  
Gianpaolo Reboldi ◽  
Filippo Aucella

<b><i>Backgrounds:</i></b> The recent coronavirus disease 2019 (CO­VID-19) pandemic has placed worldwide health systems and hospitals under pressure, and so are the renal care models. This may be a unique opportunity to promote and expand alternative models of health-care delivery in patients undergoing renal replacement therapies. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> Despite the high risk of acquiring communicable diseases when undergoing in-centre treatments, only a small proportion of patients are currently being treated with home therapies. Recent data provided by the Italian Society of Nephrology (SIN), the REIN French Registry and the Wuhan Hemodialysis Quality Control Center clearly show that patients receiving hospital-based treatment have a 3- to 4-fold greater risk of infection, and a subsequent fatality proportion between 21 and 34%. On the other hand, home-based therapy can be managed remotely, there is little or no need for transport to and from the hospital, and it is less expensive. Besides, the digital revolution in health care with the development of virtual care systems can make home dialysis with telehealth a cost-effective solution for both patients and health-care providers. Such a transition would require specific training for physicians and health-care professionals and a functional re-organization of dialysis centres to improve the skills and expertise in caring for patients at home. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The need for more widespread home treatment is the main lesson learnt by nephrologists by the COVID-19 pandemic.


10.2196/11565 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e11565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Verschueren ◽  
Connor Buffel ◽  
Geert Vander Stichele

Background The idea of using serious games to effectuate better outcomes in health care has gained significant traction among a growing community of researchers, developers, and health care professionals. Many now recognize the importance of creating evidence-based games that are purposefully designed to address physical and mental health challenges faced by end users. To date, no regulatory resources have been established to guide the development of serious games for health (SGH). Developers must therefore look elsewhere for guidance. Although a more robust level of evidence exists in the research literature, it is neither structured nor is there any clear consensus. Developers currently use a variety of approaches and methodologies. The establishment of a well-defined framework that represents the consensus views of the SGH research community would help developers improve the efficiency of internal development processes, as well as chances of success. A consensus framework would also enhance the credibility of SGH and help provide quality evidence of their effectiveness. Objective This research aimed to (1) identify and evaluate the requirements, recommendations, and guidelines proposed by the SGH community in the research literature, and; (2) develop a consensus framework to guide developers, designers, researchers, and health care professionals in the development of evidence-based SGH. Methods A critical review of the literature was performed in October to November 2018. A 3-step search strategy and a predefined set of inclusion criteria were used to identify relevant articles in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Xplore, CiteSeerX, and Google Scholar. A supplemental search of publications from regulatory authorities was conducted to capture their specific requirements. Three researchers independently evaluated the identified articles. The evidence was coded and categorized for analysis. Results This review identified 5 categories of high-level requirements and 20 low-level requirements suggested by the SGH community. These advocate a methodological approach that is multidisciplinary, iterative, and participatory. On the basis of the requirements identified, we propose a framework for developing theory-driven, evidence-based SGH. It comprises 5 stages that are informed by various stakeholders. It focuses on building strong scientific and design foundations that guide the creative and technical development. It includes quantitative trials to evaluate whether the SGH achieve the intended outcomes, as well as efforts to disseminate trial findings and follow-up monitoring after the SGH are rolled out for use. Conclusions This review resulted in the formulation of a framework for developing theory-driven, evidence-based SGH that represents many of the requirements set out by SGH stakeholders in the literature. It covers all aspects of the development process (scientific, technological, and design) and is transparently described in sufficient detail to allow SGH stakeholders to implement it in a wide variety of projects, irrespective of discipline, health care segments, or focus.


2022 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Giuliani ◽  
Luca Sgarabotto ◽  
Sabrina Milan Manani ◽  
Ilaria Tantillo ◽  
Claudio Ronco ◽  
...  

AbstractAssisted peritoneal dialysis (asPD) is a modality intended for not self-sufficient patients, mainly elderly, who are not able to perform peritoneal dialysis (PD) alone and require some help to manage the treatment. In the last decades, many countries developed strategies of asPD to face with aging of dialysis population and give an answer to the increasing demand of health service for elderly. Model of asPD varies according to the type of assistants employed and intensity of assistance provided. Both health care and non-health care assistants have been used with good clinical results. A mixed model of help, using different professional figures for short time or for longer according to patients’ need, has been proved successful and cost-effective. Outcomes of asPD are reported in different ways, and the comparative effect of asPD is unclear. Quality of life has rarely been evaluated; however, patients seem to be satisfied with the assistance provided, since it allows them to both retain independence and to be relieved from the burden of self-care. Assisted PD should not be intended as a PD-favoring strategy, but as a model that allows home dialysis also in patients who would not be eligible for PD because of social, cognitive or physical barriers.


2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 59-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Kam-Tao Li ◽  
Lui Sing Leung ◽  
Leung Chi Bon ◽  
Yu Alex Wai-Yin ◽  
Evan Lee ◽  
...  

With the number of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients growing, one of the crucial questions facing health care professionals and funding agencies in Asia is whether funding for dialysis will be sufficient to keep up with demand. During the ISPD's 2006 Congress, academic nephrologists and government officials from China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam participated in a roundtable discussion on dialysis economics in Asia. The focus was policy and health care financing. The roundtable addressed ESRD growth in Asia and how to obtain enough funding to keep up with the growth in patient numbers. Various models were presented: the “peritoneal dialysis (PD) first” policy model, incentive programs, nongovernmental organizations providing PD, and PD reimbursement in a developing economy. This article summarizes the views of the participant nephrologists on how to increase the utilization of PD to improve on clinical and financial management of patients with ESRD.


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