Kidney Commute

Reproductive Health after Transplant

In this episode of the Kidney Commute will explore the issues that are specific to women with kidney disease who undergo kidney transplant. Our interprofessional team includes a physician, Dr. Silvi Shah, who explores topics such as family planning after transplant, the impact that transplant has on fertility, and graft monitoring during pregnancy. Amanda Trinsey, who has a kidney transplant, discusses her experiences navigating pregnancy after transplant. Lisa Coscia offers information from a nursing perspective, as well as highlights the resources available from Transplant Pregnancy Registry International. Heather Hames highlights medication changes and monitoring that are key to a successful pregnancy after transplant, and Leah Madden explains how a transplant coordinator supports a woman with her reproductive journey. Finally, Amanda Earley discusses how a social worker can round out the interdisciplinary team approach to reproductive health after kidney transplant. All members of the interprofessional kidney team can learn something new from this insightful discussion!

 

 

Health Literacy

Limited or low Health literacy impacts about 80 million Americans. It is associated with poor health outcomes and upwards of $236 billion in health care costs.  Health literacy affects everyone, and most negatively effects communities of color. It is important to realize that limited health literacy is not always associated with education level and regardless of education, everyone should be evaluated.  In this episode, you will learn how providers can influence health literacy and implement evaluation and intervention strategies in their practice settings. You will hear a patient account of the impression each individual has on improving health literacy in patients.

 

Frailty in CKD and ESRD

Frailty syndrome is a multi-system impairment resulting in decreased reserve and resistance to stressors. For those living with renal disease and pursuing transplant this syndrome is measured by many transplant centers as frailty can impact post-transplant outcomes. Join us as we explore more about frailty risk factors, how it is measured, its impact, and how the multi-disciplinary team can address components leading to frailty.

 

The Importance of Immunization in Chronic Kidney Disease: How Can We Help Patients?

Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with kidney disease, and vaccines are the cornerstone of preventing infection. Nephrologists often provide general health care to their patients so the kidney health team is well suited to address what is typically a primary practitioners area.  It’s a timely topic, as we are in the midst of pandemic, however the discussion in this episode addresses vaccines beyond COVID 19. 

 

 

Women’s Health and the Kidney

This episode is the first in a series of three that will focus on women's health and the kidney. This discussion focuses on the importance of interprofessional team communication and implementing shared decision making, as well as using an individualized approach when it comes to understanding the preferences of women with kidney disease. Amanda, a kidney disease patient and mother of three, discusses her experience navigating her care with her health team.

 

 

Protein in the Diet of CKD Patients

This episode discusses a topic important to all kidney patients: protein intake in the diet. It's a question asked often by patients, and can be difficult to address by providers. Recommendations change based on a patient's individual health situation, and the support of the interprofessional team can make these conversations easier to approach. The panel provides a basic overview of protein, recommendations to approaching patient education on protein intake, and emphasizes the importance of the kidney health team working together to help patients navigate this tough question.  

 

Introduction to the Kidney Health Team

This episode provides an introduction to the kidney health team through an exploration of the roles and responsibilities of key members. Panelists discuss how the team can have healthy and productive interactions, and how the kidney health team can best work collaboratively with each other and patients to help navigate patient care and achieve optimal outcomes.