World Kidney Day 2024

It’s World Kidney Day 2024! This special day aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

This year’s theme is Kidney Health for All - Advancing equitable access to care and optimal medication practice.

BC Renal medication approach and resources

The BC Renal provincial Pharmacy Services Committee manages four formularies of medications essential in the care and treatment of people with kidney disease. The committee also oversees BC Renal’s partnerships with 30+ community pharmacies across the province and facilitates medication best practices.

Through the pharmacy formularies – one for patients receiving dialysis treatment, two for non-dialysis patients, and one for patients with glomerulonephritis – BC leads the country in renal medication and nutritional supplement coverage.

“We encompass the whole concept of medication use management – resulting in up-to-date, evidence-based formularies that also encourage, through policy and guidelines, optimal use of the medications funded by BC Renal,” says Dan Martinusen, Chair, BC Renal Pharmacy Services Committee.

More information:

Visit WorldKidneyDay.org to learn more about the global campaign.

International 2024 clinical practice guideline announced

KDIGO is a global organization developing and implementing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in kidney disease. For World Kidney day, KDIGO is releasing the 2024 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). This global guideline addresses key issues and topics related to kidney care and provides practical recommendations for clinicians and patients, to improve kidney health for people around the world.

BC Renal executive director Dr. Adeera Levin has co-chaired the development of the 2024 guideline, which contains multiple recommendations for different aspects of kidney care, and says, “We have updated important guidelines heralding a new era in kidney care, with many therapeutic options.”

A few highlights include:

  • Recommending that screening and treatment programs for CKD are implemented based on risk stratification to prioritize people, especially in settings with limited economic resources.
  • Emphasizing the need for a personalized approach to care, regardless of sex, gender, or age.
  • Sharing that patient advocates with CKD strongly argue for earlier CKD screening and diagnosis. They also advocate for CKD detection to be integrated with patient and family education to improve accessing appropriate health care and knowledge and adherence to recommended lifestyle modifications and medications.

Learn more at kdigo.org.

Kidney Health Month Story

Sharing educational resources and lived experience for Kidney Health Month

Chief Michael Recalma of the Qualicum First Nation knows first hand what it’s like to have his kidneys fail, to urgently need dialysis treatment, and to receive a kidney transplant. In 2018, after feeling like he’d had a mild flu for about two weeks, he went to see a community nurse at his local health centre. There, he learned he had extremely high blood pressure - a main risk factor for kidney disease - and that he needed to be treated right away. Read full story

Get Involved in Our Campaigns!
  • Share any Kidney Health Month or World Kidney Day photos or initiatives from around BC. Email bcrenal@bcrenal.ca or send us a message on Facebook or LinkedIn.
     
  • Forward this newsletter to anyone you think could benefit. You may want to include an introductory note such as, “In case you haven’t already received this, I wanted to share BC Renal’s World Kidney Day newsletter that helps raise awareness about kidney health, kidney disease risk factors, advancing equitable access to care, and optimal medication practice.”
     
  • Share our online Kidney Health Check quiz with family and friends by referring them to KidneyHealthCheck.ca. It takes under two minutes and could help save a life!
     
  • Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn for more information throughout Kidney Health Month. Amplify our posts by Liking, Sharing and Commenting. Use hashtags #BCRenalNetwork #KidneyHealthMonth #WorldKidneyDay.
     
  • Download and use the World Kidney Day video meeting background here.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy World Kidney Day!