• Planetary Health Survey Results
• Central Venous Catheter Guidelines
• World Mental Health Day

• Canadian Patient Safety Week
• Event Spotlight
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BC Renal's central venous catheter guidelines have been updated! Several changes have been made, including the new standard to use a needleless hemodialysis (HD) connector at all times on all catheters. Other changes incorporate updated evidence and contemporary practice, consistent with providing equitable and optimal vascular access care.

The updates were developed collaboratively by BC Renal’s Vascular Access Educators (VAEG) and Renal Educators groups, and approved by our HD Committee and Medical Advisory Group.

“The updates aim to increase clarity, usability, and patient safety," says Danielle McLaren, chair of the VAEG. "Thank you to everyone involved!”

You can find the guidelines on our Vascular Access page.

October 10^th was World Mental Health Day, providing us with a good opportunity to raise awareness of mental health resources available through BC Renal and the Kidney Foundation of Canada. One in three Canadians will be affected by a mental illness in their lifetime – and for those living with kidney disease, challenges such as anxiety and depression are especially common.

We encourage kidney patients, their family members and other care partners to have a look at our Mental Health web page and the Mental Wellbeing section of The Kidney Wellness Hub. If you need any support accessing resources, please get in touch with your renal social worker.

Rethinking patient safety with the help of national resources

In recent years, approaches to patient safety have expanded beyond traditional measures such as falls and infections to encompass cultural and psychological safety, health inequities, and the critical importance of collaboration between health-care providers and patients.

With Canadian Patient Safety Week starting October 28th, we would like to highlight a comprehensive guide from Healthcare Excellence Canada that encourages health-care providers and leaders to rethink patient safety. As stated in the guide, “Examples of other forms of harm that are often overlooked include under- and over-treatment, wrong treatment, delayed or incorrect diagnosis, dehumanization, and psychological harm.” The guide also underscores the important role patients play in contributing to their own safety.

In addition to the guide, the Healthcare Excellence website offers a broad range of resources, including webinars, activity cards and posters.