Exploring the evidence for end-of-life care in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Much of the evidence supporting a focus on end-of-life care for persons with kidney disease is in the form of expert opinion and professional practice guidelines based on multi-disciplinary input and an exploration of the known illness trajectory for renal disease. Limited intervention studies or randomized control trials related to palliative or hospice care for patients in the U.S. with ESRD remain, providing rich opportunities for nephrology researchers. Nephrology nurses should remain vigilant and open to opportunities to participate in research related to improving end-of-life care for persons with ESRD and should be at the forefront of designing evidence-based practice projects for end-of-life care options for this population.