Table of Contents
STUDY
Relaxation Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation One-Day Workshop for Nephrology
Social Workers: Exploring the Impact of This Training on Professional Practice—PART ONE
Gary Petingola, MSW, RSW
Diabetes Care Service, Health Sciences North/Horizon Santé-Nord, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada
Relaxation therapy techniques and mindfulness meditation are clinical intervention tools that have demonstrated benefits associated with the reduction of negative psychological states and the enhancement of positive states of mind critical to the alleviation of physical and emotional distress (Jain et al., 2007). Many mind-body therapeutic training workshops are offered in a one-day format; however, there is a gap in the literature examining the direct impact of learning relaxation therapy and mindfulness meditation specific to nephrology social work practitioners, and how, if at all, learning these techniques might assist a practitioner in his/her work. A study was undertaken to examine the influence of a one-day relaxation therapy and mindfulness meditation educational workshop on nephrology social workers' professional practice. Eight members of the Canadian Association of Nephrology Social Workers with limited previous exposure to mind-body therapeutic approaches participated in this project. Telephone and Skype participant interviews occurred following the workshop on three separate occasions over a period of four months. The key findings from this study suggest that 1) the workshop had an impact on professional practice, 2) the workshop had an impact on self-care, and 3) amid obstacles to implementation, nephrology social workers expressed their desire to expand their current scope of practice to include relaxation therapy techniques and mindfulness meditation with their clients.
Download
RESEARCH
Routine Use of the PedsQL™ for Assessment of Quality of Life in Pediatric Dialysis Patients
Kristin L. Stockard, LICSW, Department of Social Work, Seattle Children's Hospital
Kristy D. Seidel, MS, Department of Biostatistics, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Joseph T. Flynn, MD, MS, Division of Nephrology, Seattle Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics,
University of Washington School of Medicine
To comply with new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations requiring regular assessment of patient quality of life (QoL) by dialysis programs, we administered the PedsQL™ survey instrument to every eligible dialysis patient in our program beginning in October 2008. We compared findings between groups of our patients assessed from October 2008 through January 2010, and also with results of previously published multi-center studies. Compared to prior published studies using the PedsQL,the overall scores for patients and parents were lower in this routine collection of survey responses. Unexpectedly, we found that HD patients and patients living at greater distances from our center had better QoL scores than PD patients and those living closest to the medical center. These results require re-examination in larger, multi-center studies.
Download
REVIEW
CROWNWeb: Electronic Access to Patient-Centric Data
Oniel Delva
FMQAI: The Florida ESRD Network, Tampa, FL
In June 2012, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented the national launch of its CROWNWeb data collection system as a means to transform the way end-stage renal disease (ESRD) facilities report care provided to their patients. Fulfilling requirements outlined in Section 494.180(h) of CMS' updated Conditions for Coverage for ESRD Facilities (CfC) published in 2008, CROWNWeb is currently used by more than 6,000 Medicare-certified dialysis facilities and approximately 30 kidney transplantation centers throughout the United States and U.S. territories. The system serves as a central database in which clinical and administrative information can be entered and obtained by qualified users. Since its national release, CROWNWeb has served as a universal resource that nephrology social workers, Patient Services Directors (PSDs), other ESRD Network personnel, and CMS employees use to access near-real-time patient treatment data. These data are aiding the renal community with its ongoing commitment to work toward improving the quality of life for people with chronic kidney disease. CROWNWeb stores data for hundreds of thousands of patients, archives digital versions of completed CMS forms, compiles various reports and patient treatment data, and provides patient management capabilities that allow facilities to determine if their patients are continuing to receive treatments in the case of a disaster. This article focuses on the CROWNWeb system's impact on the duties of social workers and the interdisciplinary teams (IDTs) that are outlined in CMS' updated CfC. This article provides real-world examples from both nephrology social workers and ESRD Networks of how CROWNWeb has assisted them with managing the patient data used to capture care efforts. In addition, this article delves into how the system has aided with reducing barriers that social workers and PSDs may face in obtaining key data regarding patients.
Download
RESEARCH
Re-Framing the Gift of Life: An Examination of Altruism, Social Distance, and Material Incentives as Factors in Non-Directed Kidney Donor Motivation Among Nurses
Harry L. Humphries, PhD; Browyn K. Conrad, PhD; Cheryl K. Giefer, PhD, APRN; Amy L. Hite, DNP, APRN; and Kathleen J. Bishop, BA
Department of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences and Irene Ransom Bradley School of Nursing,
Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS
The purpose of this research is to examine motivations for undergoing a living kidney donation among professional helping service workers—specifically, nurses—using a research design reproduced from an earlier investigation evaluating the persuasiveness of the National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) altruistic "gift of life" frame. Because the earlier study revealed limits to altruism and suggested, as a means to enhance the rate of living donations, strategic "re-framings" that address material incentives and donor-recipient relationships, we assessed in this study the motivations of key representatives of the caring professions. An international sample of 60 nursing professionals participated in a survey assessing the relationship between material incentives, social distance, and donor motivation. The results show a significant negative relationship between altruism and donor motivation and strong support for material incentives as a complement to living kidney donation. We consider the values and demands of the nursing profession, including the elevated risk of compassion fatigue, as a potential mitigating factor bearing on the willingness of individuals to give the "gift of life." It is necessary to supplement this study with additional research by nephrology social workers and allied care professionals to both recognize and address the different factors influencing motivation for living kidney donation.
Download