'Reality and desire' in the care of advanced chronic kidney disease

Abstract

There is a long distance between the actual worldwide reality in advanced chronic kidney disease care and the desire of how these patients should be managed to decrease cardiovascular and general morbidity and mortality. Implementation of adequate infrastructures may improve clinical outcomes and increase the use of home renal replacement therapies (RRT). Current pitfalls should be addressed to optimise care: inadequate medical training for nephrological referral and RRT selection, late referral to nephrologists, inadequate patient education for choice of RRT modality, lack of multidisciplinary advanced kidney disease clinics and lack of programmed RRT initiation. These deficiencies generate unintended consequences, such as inequality of care and limitations in patient education and selection-choice for RRT technique with limited use of peritoneal dialysis. Multidisciplinary advanced kidney disease clinics may have a direct impact on patient survival, morbidity and quality of life. There is a common need to reduce health care costs and scenarios increasing PD incidence show better efficiency. The following proposals may help to improve the current situation: defining the scope of the problem, disseminating guidelines with specific targets and quality indicators, optimising medical speciality training, providing adequate patient education, specially through the use of general decision making tools that will allow patients to choose the best possible RRT in accordance with their values, preferences and medical advice, increasing planned dialysis starts and involving all stakeholders in the process.