TB screening program underway

A provincial tuberculosis (TB) screening program was launched in September targeting all new dialysis patients in BC.

The first of its kind in Canada, the program is supported by the BC Renal Agency and the regional health authorities, in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). All new dialysis patients will complete a TB screening questionnaire, a chest x-ray and blood test (Interferon Gamma Release Assays – IGRA). These procedures will be done by staff at the hemodialysis in-centre programs and peritoneal dialysis programs for all new patients within the first week of their dialysis start.

NxStage roll-out

The NxStage home hemodialysis (HHD) machine is relatively new to Canada and was designed specifically for use by patients in the home. Following a successful pilot project, the BC Renal Agency and the provincial HHD committee have launched a phased implementation of NxStage, with the objective of supporting a two-machine model for home hemodialysis in BC (Gambro and NxStage). The overall goal is to support the expansion of HHD to a wider group of patients and to increase the number of patients benefiting from HHD in BC. 

A priority selection tool for determining which patients are most suitable for HHD using NxStage has been developed, and training on the system was started in August at Interior Health for both nurses and nephrologists. 

Since the launch of the BC home hemodialysis program in 2004, 500 patients have been trained to manage their hemodialysis treatments at home. Home hemodialysis therapies provide a number of benefits, including improved quality of life and better health outcomes.

Modality Choices training package

The Kidney Care Committee has completed work on a suite of standardized tools for educating patients with advanced kidney disease on their treatment options. 

The Modality Choices materials include a PowerPoint presentation for use by all kidney care clinic staff who provide patient training. The presentation, with embedded videos, gives a comprehensive overview of all patient options, including hemodialysis (independent and dependent), peritoneal dialysis, transplant and conservative care.

Data collection to support PD practice

A new module has been launched in PROMIS to support better understanding of the reasons for failure of peritoneal dialysis therapy for some patients, and to help in developing techniques for avoiding such failures.

The PD Exit Reasons module is designed to capture standardized data on why patients have ended their PD therapy. The data required by the module is aligned with international data collection efforts to identify and promote optimal techniques for PD therapy.  

Drug for PKD being assessed

The BC Renal Agency is developing a framework for considering new disease-modifying drugs expected to enter the Canadian market over the next few years.

Tolvaptan (Jinarc™) is an example of one such drug. Approved by Health Canada in February 2015, it is the first drug shown to slow the growth of kidney size in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD). However, long-term studies are required to determine whether it prevents kidney failure related to PKD.

New head of provincial PD committee

In July Dr. Suneet Singh was appointed medical director of the provincial PD committee by the BC Renal Agency.  She brings 15 years of PD clinical experience to the role. Click here to read Dr. Singh’s profile on the Renal Agency’s website. 

GN Committee update

The Glomerulonephritis Committee has been working to standardize care province-wide for patients with this relatively rare group of kidney diseases. Treatment protocols and other GN-related resources are available on the BC Renal Agency website. 

About 300 cases of GN are diagnosed in BC each year, making it the second most common cause of end-stage kidney disease in Canada. 

In April, the GN committee succeeded in having Tacrolimus, a generic form of an  immunosuppressant drug used to treat glomerulonephritis (GN), added to the provincial renal formulary. The use of generic drugs helps to reduce medication costs. And because all patients diagnosed with GN are now captured in the PROMIS database, their treatment outcomes with the new drug can be monitored, providing information on its relative safety and efficacy.

The data on GN patients provided through PROMIS also offers a valuable resource for research on the disease, and one that is unique in Canada.

St. Paul's HD team wins national award

The hemodialysis team at St. Paul’s Hospital received a national award for a care model redesign that has improved patient care and saved close to $700,000 in annual operating costs.

The St. Paul’s team was presented with the 3M Health Care Quality Team Award in June, at an event held in Charlottetown, PEI.

Presumed consent and organ donation

Submitted by BC Transplant 

“Presumed consent” is an idea that has recently gained some attention in BC. When made into law, presumed consent makes every person a candidate for organ donation at their time of death, unless they have registered their decision not to donate. (Presumed consent is sometimes also referred to as ‘opt-out’ because people are required to register their decision to opt-out of donating.) Many countries with a presumed consent model have higher rates of organ donation than Canada.

BC Transplant has recently been asked if presumed consent might be a solution to help increase donation rates in BC. Here are the agency’s answers to the most common questions.

Kidney Foundation Citizen's Leadership Award

Submitted by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC and Yukon Branch

The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon Branch has honoured British Columbia MLA Amrik Virk with a special Citizen’s Leadership Award for his efforts to increase organ donor awareness and registration across BC.