Renal News - Fall 2017

Fall 2017

Pharmacy Formulary Update

Changes to BC Renal formularies

Based on current best practices, as well as an identified need to better support non-dialysis patients with advanced CKD (eGFR less than15 mL/min), a number of changes were made this summer to the BC Renal Agency’s formularies and to policy concerning funding of medications by the agency. These include:

Updating existing symptom management algorithms to reflect current evidence. This resulted in the addition of new medications with proven efficacy and the removal of others that did not have strong evidence or had evidence of harm.
Extending BC Renal Agency funding of symptom management medications to include non-dialysis patients with advanced CKD (eGFR less than 15 mL/min).

CKD Update

New symptom assessment guideline

People at all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) can experience a range of symptoms that adversely affect quality of life. These symptoms are often unreported and as a result often untreated.

Transplant Update

Transplant First is a joint initiative between the BC Renal Agency’s Kidney Care (KCC) Committee and BC Transplant (BCT) to promote pre-emptive transplants for patients considering renal replacement therapies.

Travelling on Home Hemodialysis

After years of not leaving her home community of Richmond, Dolly Mariano is once again a happy traveler.

Palliative Care Update

Engaging with Patients

In recent years the BC Renal Agency has increased our efforts to engage patients in roles where they can offer an important, and often overlooked, perspective on priorities for improving kidney care.

Home Hemodialysis Update

NxStage available across BC

The BC Renal Agency’s provincial roll out of the NxStage dialysis system is now complete, providing patients across BC with a second option for home hemodialysis.

Peritoneal Dialysis Update

PD Assist rollout near completion

The PD Assist program is now available to PD patients in most regions of the province, with the exception of the North, where it will be operational by December.Currently 44 patients are registered with the program, which provides assistance for patients experiencing difficulties that put them at risk of failing on the home-based treatment.

Research

BC prognostication studies suggest areas for improvement

A recent study by the BC Renal Agency’s Palliative Care Committee (PCC) research group reports that less than half of Canadian nephrologists make a regular practice of estimating and discussing expected survival with non-dialysis patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

Hemodialysis Update

The Hemodialysis Committee has developed a provincial guideline for implementing the updated Acuity Scale. The new guideline is available on the BC Renal Agency website.

Medical Assistance in Dying

Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) became legal in Canada in June 2016 when the federal government passed Bill C-14, establishing the legal framework to regulate this health care service.

BCKD 2017

Sold out again!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this a great event! Presentations and videos will be available in the coming weeks on the BCKD website. We hope to see you all again in November 2018 at the JW Marriott Hotel.