NKF, ASN seek input from kidney community on task force reassessing use of race in eGFR
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Following the launch of a joint task force dedicated to reassessing the inclusion of race in GFR estimations, the National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology seek input from the broader kidney care community.
Healio Nephrology reported on the task force in August 2020 when, through a press release, both organizations emphasized that adjusting for race in eGFR equations “ignores the substantial diversity” within individual patients because race is rooted not in biology but is, rather, a social construct (making it differ from factors like age, sex and body weight).
According to an email from the co-chairs, the task force has been reviewing the published scholarly work on this issue, as well as hearing from experts, since September.
“To inform its final report, the task force would now like to hear from the kidney community and other stakeholders on the breadth of topics reviewed, the implications in the estimation of kidney function and alternative approaches to the current calculations used to estimate kidney function,” Cynthia Delgado, MD, FASN, and Neil R. Powe, MD, MPH, MBA, FASN, wrote in the email.
Delgado and Powe defined the kidney community more specifically as including medical students, nephrology fellows, physicians, pharmacists, scientists, nurses, social workers and nutritionists, as well as patients with kidney diseases and their families. These individuals will be able to provide input on health care disparities and kidney function measurement through three live forums to take place in January 2021. The forums allow individuals to either testify orally or through written comments.
“The task force invites everyone interested to participate in the process as we seek a solution to address our charge that is safe; equitable; will not disadvantage any patient by race, sex, or age; and will promote accurate and consistent GFR estimation for all patients throughout the United States,” Delgado and Powe wrote.
For more information on dates and times of the forums or to register, please visit: https://www.kidney.org/content/nkf-asn-task-force-reassessing-inclusion-race-diagnosing-kidney-diseases.
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts