Author Interviews, Cleveland Clinic, Kidney Disease, Social Issues / 21.01.2015
Tool Helps Chronic Kidney Disease Patients Make Dialysis Decisions
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Suma Prakash MD, MSc, FRCPC
Department of Medicine, Division of Nephrology
Case Western Reserve University
MetroHealth Medical Center Cleveland, Ohio
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Prakash: Patients with advanced chronic kidney disease are often faced with difficult decisions of having to choose between options to replace their kidney function. Many patients may not be ready to make treatment decisions since most people don’t want to need a chronic medical treatment.
The behavioural stage of change model originally used to help people with smoking cessation has been used to help patients make decisions about self-care with diabetes and undergo cancer screening. It has not been studied in patients with chronic kidney disease. As patients progress through the stages, they are more ready to make decisions. Focusing on better understanding the decision making process from patients’ perspectives allows us as medical professionals to help patients make timely decision about their options.
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