Patients' experiences of initiating unplanned haemodialysis.

Background: Many patients with end stage kidney disease initiate dialysis in an unplanned fashion and as a result experience increased morbidity, mortality and make greater demands on health care resources. To deliver care appropriate to the needs of these patients it is imperative to gain insight into the perspective of each individual.

Aim: To describe the meaning of the phenomenon "initiating haemodialysis in an unplanned fashion" experienced by the participants.

Continuing education: preparing patients to choose a renal replacement therapy.

Background: Patients with progressive chronic kidney disease face a series of treatment decisions that will impact the quality of life of themselves and their family. Renal replacement therapy option education (RRTOE), generally provided by nurses, is recommended by international guidelines

Objectives: To provide nurses with advice and guidance on running RRTOE.

Design: A consensus conference.

Predialysis education in practice: a questionnaire survey of centres with established programmes.

Background: There is growing evidence that renal replacement therapy option education (RRTOE) can result in enhanced quality of life, improved clinical outcomes, and reduced health care costs. However, there is still no detailed guidance on the optimal way to run such programmes. To help address this knowledge gap, an expert meeting was held in March 2013 to formulate a position statement on optimal ways to run RRTOE.

Quality standards for predialysis education: results from a consensus conference.

This position statement was compiled following an expert meeting in March 2013, Zurich, Switzerland. Attendees were invited from a spread of European renal units with established and respected renal replacement therapy option education programmes. Discussions centred around optimal ways of creating an education team, setting realistic and meaningful objectives for patient education, and assessing the quality of education delivered.

On line UV-adsorbance measurements. Summary of the EDTNA/ERCA journal club discussion. Summer 2006.

The discussion was initiated by a paper comparing the measurement of dialysis dose (Kt/V) and solute clearance using on-line ultra-violet absorbance, blood and dialysate urea and ionic dialysance by Uhlin et al (NDT 2006). Participants from 14 countries discussed the theory behind the UV absorbance technique and the potential for its use in routine practice, the correlation between Kt/V measured using different methods, the use of ionic dialysance and the optimisation of dose monitoring. The 'take-home' messages from the discussion were that UV-absorbance could help ensure the delivery of dialysis dose as it provides real time feedback on the effect interventions such as repositioning of needles.