Available at no cost through its website, www.dialysispatients.org, the new course entitled “Take an Active Role in your Treatment” is dedicated to providing patients with the tools and resources they need to be active decision makers in their kidney care.
“We are proud to introduce this new education tool for patients, designed to help empower those living with CKD to become more informed and involved participants in their own care,” said DPC interim executive director Tonya Saffer. “There is a good deal of information that patients need to be made aware of at every stage of their care, and we hope this new course will provide a useful reminder of the types of medical, social and community resources available to them.”
The course covers a variety of topics related to care involvement, including:
- Get informed: Covers CKD stages, phosphorus and the power of three (diet, dialysis and medication), understanding treatment options, knowing your kidney care team, and finding helpful resources.
- Get involved: Describes the value of being a part of your kidney care team, health information trackers, preparing for appointments, using diet and nutrition tracking tools, and joining patient organizations.
- Get support: Explains how to talk to loved ones, start conversations with other patients in the dialysis clinic, and maintain family life.
In addition to the new course on becoming more active in your care, the DPC Classroom also offers online classes on nutrition, the importance of maintaining cardiovascular health, and home hemodialysis options for end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
The “Take an Active Role in your Treatment” course was developed with a grant by Shire.
