Seize CKD - Latest Kidney Disease Initiative Celebrates Teamwork

New York, NY
November 15, 2006

The best laid plans of any organization--large or small--can fall short if they lack one vital element.

Teamwork.

That's why the vision of vastly improving the outcomes of millions of Americans being treated for chronic kidney disease (CKD) will soon benefit from a renewed focus on teamwork, the National Kidney Foundation announced today.

“Seize Chronic Kidney Disease, Celebrate Collaboration” is an innovative, comprehensive program that will provide education resources for the CKD team of dietitians, nurses, dialysis technicians and social workers in support of better patient outcomes, especially for people with CKD stages 4 and 5.

Each discipline’s unique and essential care perspective is a feature in this initiative, and reflective of the collaborative face of CKD care.

“You don't have to be a sports fan to realize that success is often a result of teamwork. Our new educational initiative will highlight the benefits of collaboration,” says Linda M. McCann, RD, LD, CSR, member of the National Kidney Foundation’s “Seize CKD” Advisory Board. “We're eager to roll out this new program that will be focused on improving patient care by emphasizing and encouraging collaboration of the multidisciplinary care-providers.”

The National Kidney Foundation's “Seize Chronic Kidney Disease, Celebrate Collaboration” initiative comprises four key components, designed to build upon each other, with a major emphasis on the education and collaboration of allied health professionals caring for patients with stages 4 and 5 CKD. The components include:

  • An interactive and multidisciplinary online patient care plan for nurses, dietitians, social workers and dialysis technicians. This integrated patient care approach complements and expands the NKF’s current online KDOQI clinical action plans.
  • An interdisciplinary CKD curriculum designed to both reflect and integrate the team roles, while assuring best practices in CKD patient care through competency assessment in key skill areas.
  • A series of live, full-day, interactive continuing education seminars for allied health professionals that will address collaborative CKD management and delivery of best patient-care practices. These live, regional events presented by multi-disciplinary faculty will take place in four U.S. cities.
  • An enduring continuing education activity program based on the proceedings of the seminar days will be available in both CD-ROM and Webcast formats.

“Seize Chronic Kidney Disease, Celebrate Collaboration” is supported by an educational grant from Roche. For more information, contact the National Kidney Foundation at 212-889-2210 or visit www.seizeCKD.org .