Annual Dialysis Conference offers range of educational sessions for home, pediatric, in-center kidney care

With a weather forecast for the South moving from icy temperatures to a welcoming mid-50s this coming weekend, the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta will welcome hundreds of renal professionals for the Annual Dialysis Conference.

The symposium incorporates the 34th Annual Conference on Dialysis, which includes tracks for both peritoneal dialysis and home hemodialysis, and the 25th Annual Symposium on Pediatric Dialysis. The meeting is presented by the University of Missouri School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology; Continuing Medical Education; the University of Missouri Sinclair School of Nursing; and the Academy for Postgraduate Health Care Education.

(FMCNA to present award to home hemodialysis advocate at Annual Dialysis Conference)

ADC convenes an international group of practitioners and researchers to discuss current developments in the field of dialysis. The conference is designed for health professionals involved in established dialysis programs, as well as those working in new and developing programs.

The meeting includes full day, pre-conference programs on Friday, Feb. 8, covering issues in hemodialysis, home hemodialysis, pediatric dialysis, and peritoneal dialysis. ADC organizers, led by long-time director Karl Nolph, MD, say participants will be able to:

review appropriate dialysis therapies to meet the medical and psychosocial needs of CKD patients and their families.
describe current trends and established strategies in the management of the full range of services required by adult and pediatric dialysis patients.
compare and contrast research findings related to improving the quality of care for dialysis patients.
evaluate the latest evidence concerning the prevention and management of complications of CKD and dialysis.
discuss major controversies and new developments in PD, HD and pediatric dialysis.
review fundamental knowledge of dialysis.

At a special awards ceremony that evening, Dr. Nolph and Leonor Ponferrada, BSN, RN will present the Lifetime Achievement Award in Hemodialysis to Eli Friedman, MD; the ISHD Belding H. Scribner Trail Blazer Award in HD to Carl Kjellstrand, MD, PhD, FACP, FRCP(c); the Lifetime Achievement Award in Peritoneal Dialysis to John Burkart, MD; the Barbara Prowant Lifetime Achievement Award in Nephrology Nursing to Ana Elizabeth Figueiredo, MSc, PhD, RN; a special award presentation from Dialyzors United, and other special honors.

In addition to education tracks for PD, home HD, and pediatrics, the ADC offer a pre-conference program for dialysis technicians. Presented in cooperation with the Dogwood Chapter of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA), the full-day curriculum includes the following:

The certified dialysis technician: Performing at a higher level of accountability in the workplace - Danilo Concepcion, CBNT, CCHT-A
Frequently Asked Questions about certification - Forest Rawls, Jr., BS, CCHT-A, CHT
Water standards for hemodialysis – James Davis
Chlorine and chloramine: A matter of life and death - Mikki Ward, RN
Infection control in dialysis: Exposure risks and isolation practices - Matt Arduino, MS, DrPH
Fluid management in dialysis patients - Lisa Koester, MSN, RN
Vascular Access: Back to Basics - Lesley Dinwiddie, MSN, RN
Vascular access: Management and prevention of problems - Karen Kelley, BSN, RN, MHA
Observation and physical measurements: Why is this important during dialysis treatments? – Gail Wick, BSN, RN
Patient centered care: Your role in dialysis - Glenda Payne, MSN, RN
Effective communication and respect of professional boundaries in the workplace - Leanne Peace, MSW

All pre-conference programs taking place on Feb. 8 require separate registration fees. For more details on the ADC program, including a complete brochure and information on how to register, go to http://medicine.missouri.edu/dialysis/about