Patients have their say The results are in from the BC Renal Agency’s latest survey of patients about their experience of care, and renal care staff should be pleased by the outcome.
The overall message from patients across the province is they are well satisfied with the services they receive. More than 75 per cent of patients who responded to the survey rated the overall quality of renal services as “excellent” or “very good.” Click for more...  PD Assist provincial roll out
Qualifications are being reviewed for a potential province-wide supplier for the PD Assist (PDA) program. Following the selection of a provider and contract negotiation, the provincial PDA program should be ready for launch by early 2017. My Symptom Assessment The Kidney Care Committee, in collaboration with the Palliative Care Committee, has developed a patient self-assessment protocol for use by all non-dialysis patients with an eGFR of less than 15. Modality Choices training materials 
The online Modality Choices patient training resource is now available in booklet form. The full presentation has been broken into five modules and assembled in a flipchart format with laminated pages. HD quality indicators The first Hemodialysis Quality Indicators report will be released in November, covering the six-month period from April to September. The report will provide essential information about HD patients for use in planning and improving services. The report will evolve over time to include further indicators as required. More information about the provincial Hemodialysis Committee and hemodialysis guidelines/tools are available on the agency website. Roll-out of NxStage system The provincial roll-out of the NxStage home hemodialysis (HHD) system is continuing. Training on the system has been provided to nurses in every health authority, and further training will be available as needed. Click for more... Traveling on HD  A guideline and standardized forms are now available online to support BC hemodialysis patients who want to travel around or out of province and for patients from elsewhere traveling to BC who require hemodialysis.
Patients are advised to plan their travel well in advance and to contact a dialysis facility in their intended destination three months prior to arrival to confirm an appointment. More general information for dialysis patients about traveling is also available on the Renal Agency website. KCC staff training webinars The Kidney Care Committee will be offering monthly online education seminars for Kidney Care Clinic staff starting in September. ACP module on PROMIS The Advance Care Planning (ACP) module in PROMIS was introduced last year to capture patient data and enable tracking of ACP activity for all renal patients, in alignment with the direction set by the provincial Ministry of Health. As of May 2016, the module contained ACP data for 2,244 patients across the province. The breakdown by patient group is shown below.
| Dialysis status | No. of pts. | | CKD | 961 | | HD | 962 | | HHD | 42 | | PD | 187 | | Other (e.g. transplant) | 92 | Programs are encouraged to continue to prioritized the advance care planning process as part of the renal care they provide, using the ACP module as a tool to assist in this valuable work. Palliative Care Committee Quality of Care The BC Renal Agency’s Palliative Care Committee (PCC) is in the process of developing its first quality indicator report. The report will use indicators agreed to by all health authorities, with a first draft expected in October. Medical Assistance in Dying The PCC is exploring the implications for renal patients related to the federal government’s new medical assistance in dying (MAID) legislation. To that end, the PCC is sponsoring a MAID plenary session at BC Kidney Days focused on the ethical and professional obligations of physicians regarding MAID.  BC's renal formulary
British Columbia is the only province in Canada with a comprehensive list of renal medications available at no cost to kidney patients through the BC Renal Agency. These medications are found in three formularies – for dialysis patients, non-dialysis patients and patients with glomerulonephritis. Click for more Buddies help new HD patients at St. Paul's To help new hemodialysis (HD) patients cope with the demands and information overload associated with beginning dialysis, the HD outpatient clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital has started a program that pairs new HD patients with experienced HD patient mentors. Click Here Kidney Foundation  New acting executive director
The Kidney Foundation is pleased to announce that Pia Schindler, senior director of fund development with The Kidney Foundation of Canada, BC & Yukon Branch, has assumed the role of acting executive director for the organization.
BCIT advanced online PD course The BC Renal Agency has sponsored 14 nurses to take the new BCIT advanced online course on PD and self-care management starting in September. The BCIT School of Health Sciences is introducing the advanced online course on PD for nurses who are newly hired or currently working in PD units in BC. Nurses who complete the course will receive academic credit toward a Bachelor’s degree in nursing or an advanced certificate in nephrology nursing from BCIT or the Canadian Nurses Association. | | | Register for BC Kidney Days today! | | 
The annual BC Kidney Days conference will take place October 6-7 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver. The theme for BCKD 2016 is Transitions – The Kidney Patient Journey. To view the conference program or to register for BC Kidney Days 2016, visit the conference webpage. Please note that registration closes October 3rd and there will not be onsite registration this year. | | | | 
Dr. Mohamud Karim is the recipient of the 2016 Wilma Crockett award. The award is given every year to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to renal patient care in BC. | | | CKD Education - Primary Care | | 
The next online CKD e-learning session for primary care providers will be held November 2, 2016. Please share information about BCPRA's accredited educational series with interested colleagues.
Topics: - Acute Kidney Injury
- Kidney Stones, Cysts and Cancer
Learn more | | | In Memoriam: Dr. Charles (Ted) Reeve | | 
Dr. Charles (Ted) Reeve, a long-time BC transplant nephrologist and head of the province’s kidney transplant program from 1968-1987, passed away in August. Following his retirement from medicine, Ted and his wife Phyllis lived on Gabriola Island. | | | |  Save the date for Western Canada PD Days 2017. April 6 - 7, 2017 Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue www.wcpddays.ca Click Here | | | Global PD congress in Vancouver | | | | | | 
Linda Turnbull
Although Linda Turnbull’s name may not be familiar to everyone in BC’s peritoneal dialysis clinical community, her work almost certainly is. | | | | 
We regularly add new resources for health care providers and patients to the Renal Agency website. Click Here | | | | 
30 years of transplant
In October, BC Transplant will celebrate its 30th year of operation. To mark the occasion, a month-long social media campaign will celebrate the transplant advancements, milestones, and people that have brought BCT to where it is today. | | | |
