The Role of Nephrology Nurses in Symptom Management – Reflections on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes Controversies Conference on Symptom-Based Complications in Dialysis Care
Marques Shek Nam Ng, Edwina A. Brown, Michael Cheung, Ana Elizabeth Figueiredo, Helen Hurst, Jennifer King, Rajnish Mehrotra, Lillian A. Pryor, Rachael Walker, Betty Ann Wasylynuk, Paul N. Bennett
Abstract
People with kidney failure undergoing dialysis frequently report distressful symptoms, such as fatigue, pain, and pruritus. These symptoms have negative impacts on quality of life as well as other clinical outcomes, including healthcare utilization and mortality risk. Despite these tremendous impacts, symptom assessment and management can be challenging in clinical settings.1 In May 2022, Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) held a Controversies Conference entitled Symptom-Based Complications in Dialysis to address the need for developing and testing solutions for assessing and managing symptoms associated with maintenance dialysis.