Moving forward from Cockcroft-Gault creatinine clearance to race-free estimated glomerular filtration rate to improve medication-related decision-making in adults across healthcare settings: A consensus of the National Kidney Foundation Workgroup for Implementation of Race-Free eGFR-Based Medication-Related Decisions.

Purpose: The goals of this paper are to (1) provide evidence and expert consensus to support a unified approach to estimating kidney filtration in adults with stable kidney function using race-free estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in place of Cockcroft-Gault estimated creatinine clearance (C-G eCrCL) for medical and medication-related decisions, and (2) demonstrate how adjusting eGFR results for an individual's body surface area (BSA) when it is higher or lower than 1.73 m2 will improve results for medication-related decisions.

Summary: C-G eCrCL is predominantly used by US pharmacists to determine eGFR for the purposes of medication-related decisions, even though more accurate eGFR equations exist.

Virtual Reality in Chronic Kidney Disease Education and Training.

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often struggle to understand their disease and its treatment options. The learning content they receive does not provide the experience necessary to truly understand their disease and its treatment options. Nephrology care providers struggle to convey their knowledge effectively to patients, which leads to dissatisfaction.

Using Learning Science to Optimize Chronic Kidney Disease Education for Patients and Providers.

Many patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and their providers are dissatisfied with patients' depth of useful knowledge about CKD and its treatment options. This increases stress and decreases satisfaction, while increasing health care costs. In this article, we will apply learning science - the marriage of psychology and the neuroscience of learning - to examine problems seen in current CKD education.

Job analysis and role delineation: LPN/LVNs and hemodialysis technicians.

To provide safe and quality care to patients on hemodialysis, nephrology registered nurses must fully understand the roles of the healthcare providers to whom they delegate patient care. A job analysis survey of hemodialysis technicians and licensed practical nurses/licensed vocational nurses (LPNs/LVNs) was conducted by the Nephrology Nursing Certification Commission (NNCC) in 2011 to 1) revalidate the Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician (CCHT) test blueprint, 2) delineate differences in practice between entry-level technicians and experienced/advanced technicians, and 3) delineate differences in practice between hemodialysis technicians and LPNs/LVNs in hemodialysis settings. Significant differences in practice were identified among the three groups, which led to the development by NNCC of two additional certification examinations: the Certified Clinical Hemodialysis Technician-Advanced (CCHT-A) examination and the Certified Dialysis LPN/LVN (CD-LPN/LVN) examination.

De Novo Fibrillary Glomerulonephritis (FGN) in a Renal Transplant with Chronic Hepatitis C.

Chronic hepatitis C viremia (HepC) has been associated with numerous renal manifestations both in native kidneys and in the setting of renal transplantation. Glomerulonephritis (GN) of the renal allograft in the setting of HepC most commonly manifests as type 1 membranoproliferative GN (MPGN), either representing recurrence of the original disease or arising de novo. Other GNs were reported after transplantation in the patient with HepC including membranous nephropathy and thrombotic microangiopathy, as well as an enhanced susceptibility to transplant glomerulopathy.

Renal anatomy and overview of nephron function.

The kidneys are highly vascularized organs that are responsible for maintaining the body's internal environment. The nephron is the basic structural and functional unit of the kidney involved in the complex interplay between tubular and vascular components resulting in the excretion of fluid and solutes. The regulation of body fluid and solutes is governed by the processes of filtration, reabsorption, and secretion.