New TB screening program

A new blood screening program for tuberculosis (TB) will be introduced this spring for all CKD patients transitioning to dialysis across the province. A first in Canada, the program was developed by the BC Renal Agency in collaboration with the BC Centre for Disease Control, the BC Public Health Microbiology Regional Lab, and the regional health authorities. The initiative is aligned with the BC Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Prevention, Treatment and Control, which aims to decrease TB incidence in BC by 50% over the next decade.

Advance Care Planning Module in PROMIS

A new module in PROMIS to help track advance care planning (ACP) will be launched this spring. The ACP module will provide basic information about the status of ACP activity for renal patients in every program across the province. This will help renal program staff identify patients at a high priority for engaging in ACP. The module is not intended to replace health authority ACP-related processes or documentation/charting.  

Kidney Care Committee UPDATE

The provincial Kidney Care Committee has taken steps to help prevent adverse drug interactions in CKD patients.  New “prescription pads” alert local pharmacists that the patient has CKD, and that drug dosages may need to be adjusted for reduced renal function.

Continued improvement in patient care

The BCPRA Kidney Care Committee’s latest key indicator report shows continued improvement in multiple areas of CKD care compared to previous periods. 

The most recent version of the twice-yearly report, for the period April – October 2014, shows that for patients with an eGFR of less than 15 (when kidney failure has technically occurred and dialysis is typically started) and a chosen modality of hemodialysis, 65% had a pre-emptive fistula or graft, as compared to 59% of such patients in the same period the previous year.

New anxiety & depression guidelines

The BC Renal Agency will be breaking new ground this spring when it publishes its guideline on the role of Kidney Care Clinics in the identification and follow-up of CKD patients with anxiety or depression.

Developed by the provincial Kidney Care Committee, the guideline is the first known guideline of its kind in Canada. When completed, it will be posted to the BC Renal Agency website.

Additional guidelines and clinical tools developed by the Kidney Care Committee can be viewed on the BC Renal Agency website. 

Salute to PVAST

After more than ten years of outstanding work developing standardized vascular access (VA) guidelines and one of the best VA programs in the country, provincial responsibility for VA has shifted from PVAST (Provincial Vascular Access Services Team) to the newly formed BCPRA Hemodialysis Committee. The VA Educators Group (VAEG) will continue its work in collaboration with the Hemodialysis Committee.

In addition to creating evidence-based standard guidelines for vascular access, PVAST also developed VA indicator reports, patient teaching tools and the Save the Veins initiative. This work and regular reporting will continue under the Hemodialysis Committee. 

NxStage evaluation

A one-year project to assess the NxStage home hemodialysis system was completed in November and an evaluation of pilot results is now underway to determine how the system could best be integrated into the provincial home hemodialysis program to increase independent dialysis uptake in the province.

The NxStage system offers patients an alternative home hemodialysis option. Because it does not require the specialized plumbing and electrical work needed for installing conventional HHD systems, it could make HHD available for patients who live in homes where these conversions are not possible. 

PD Assist pilot evaluation

A mid-point evaluation of the PD Assist pilot project is currently underway. The results of the review will help to inform decisions about the future of PD Assist when the pilot wraps up later this year.  

RESEARCH: Clinical trials

The BC Renal Agency website features a new clinical trials page, including a summary for each current clinical trial and contact information for enrolling patients. The clinical trials section is located in the Research area of the agency’s website. You can also find an archive of BC renal researcher publication references, poster presentations, and lists of quality improvement initiatives across health authority renal programs. 

CKD Symposium a success

The second annual CKD symposium for primary care providers held in November attracted 45 attendees, 24 of whom took part online through a live streaming broadcast (including clinicians from Ontario and Manitoba). Co-sponsored by the BC Renal Agency and BC Kidney Foundation, this year’s symposium received positive feedback, with 86% saying the symposium presentations were relevant to family medicine and 79% saying the program met their expectations and was well organized. Presentations from the symposium can be viewed at www.ckdsymposium.ca.

BCT Education Day

Every time BC Transplant receives a call about a potential organ donor more than 50 hospital staff swing into action. And more than 100 hospital staff have a role to play every time a patient becomes an organ donor and a transplant operation is performed. BC Transplant's Education Day is designed to make sure all of these activities contribute to the success of every transplant patient's journey. 

New kidney suite to open soon

A new, two-bedroom suite for kidney transplant patients who travel to Vancouver for their transplant procedure will soon be open. Located behind St. Paul’s Hospital, the new suite will become the fifth such suite in Vancouver funded by The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon Branch.

HHD nurse educator recognized

Providence Health Care nurse educator Sarah Thomas has received the Excellence in Nursing Education award from the BC College of Registered Nurses.