NKF Spring Clinical Meetings offer a diversified program for multidisciplinary audience
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Editor’s note: Healio/Nephrology News & Issues interviewed Bernard Jaar, MD, chairperson of the National Kidney Foundation’s Spring Clinical Meetings, which take place April 11-15 in Austin, Texas. For more information and to register for the meeting, visit www.kidney.org/spring-clinical.
Healio/Nephrology News & Issues: The National Kidney Foundations Spring Clinical Meetings (SCM) is the only conference in nephrology that addresses a multidisciplinary audience. Why do you think that is important?
Bernard Jaar, MD: We believe it is important for professionals working in the specialty of kidney disease to not only have an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas, experiences and difficulties but also work on solutions we encounter in our day-to-day work. We don’t work in silos, and we need each other to provide optimal care for our patients with kidney disease, particularly those on dialysis and those with a kidney transplant.
Healio/Nephrology News & Issues: What are your expectations for attendance?
Jaar: We hope to reach or even exceed our pre-pandemic meeting attendance. We are always thrilled to see more professionals coming to SCM to network and learn new developments related to all aspects of nephrology. We recognize there continues to be staffing shortages and other challenges for health care workers that may be a barrier to onsite attendance. In light of this, we will continue to offer the SCM on-demand registration option. This option allows attendees to view recordings of SCM23 sessions through June 1.
Healio/Nephrology News & Issues: For the first time, the SCM includes a half-day forum for patients, families and care partners. Why did the organizing committee choose mental health and nutrition as important topics?
Jaar: The committee felt that mental health is not discussed enough in the patient care environment, so members wanted to focus on it to bring to light the many ways that people with kidney disease struggle throughout their journey with mental health issues. Ultimately, the goal is to destigmatize the need for help along the way.
Nutrition is always an essential topic for kidney patients throughout their journey. For both patients and their families, the social and cultural role that food plays in their lives also ties in with overall health and well-being. With a focus on “real talk” between patients on how they have coped with mental health and diet along with educational presentations by professionals, this symposium will equip patients and their loved ones with information on how to live with kidney disease at any stage with a strong emphasis on the intersection of physical, mental and emotional health.
Healio/Nephrology News & Issues: Christopher Chan, MD, is leading a session on workforce issues and competency among kidney professionals in helping to move home dialysis penetration forward. How does the SCM program address the mental health of the kidney care specialist?
Jaar: As home dialysis modalities become more prevalent among our patients with kidney failure, our trainees at all levels need to be more competent and feel comfortable delivering care using these home dialysis techniques. This unique session on home dialysis will also explore ways to establish and maintain a comprehensive home dialysis program, not only to improve patients outcomes, but also to improve job satisfaction of an interprofessional care team that faces new pressures from staffing shortages and other issues.
Healio/Nephrology News & Issues: The physicians’ program includes a session on miltimodal pharmacotherapy to slow CKD. Do we still have a lot to learn about pharmacotherapy for patients with CKD?
Jaar: We certainly hope this session will help our multidisciplinary attendees to better understand but also, importantly, adopt the most recent and significant advances made in slowing progression of chronic kidney disease in patients with and without diabetes. It is important to narrow the knowledge gap, as it is frequently said it takes several years for published research evidence to reach clinical practice. Ultimately, this multimodal pharmacotherapy session will help attendees develop strategies to overcome barriers to optimal CKD management.
Collapse
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts