Empowering dialysis users and caregivers
Search for dialysis centres here
Log in to explore the world's most comprehensive database of dialysis centres for free!
Professional dialysis recruitment| Physicians Urge Better Decision Making on Dialysis - New America Media |
 |
 |
|
More than 20 million Americans, have some form of chronic kidney disease or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), dialysis is a commonly recommended treatment. But a story published in this week’s New York Times “Science Times” section reports that for older patients the treatment is increasingly being seen as an choice, not an imperative, and “a growing number of nephrologists and researchers are pushing for more educated and deliberative decision making when seniors contemplate dialysis.” NY Times “New Old Age” reporter Paula Span writes, “Unquestionably, dialysis has helped save lives.” But for those age 75 or older, about 40 percent of ESRD or advanced kidney failure patients die within a year, and only 19 percent survive beyond four years, the renal data system has reported. And a Canadian survey of patients revealed that six in 10 regretted starting dialysis, “a decision they attributed to physicians’ and families’ wishes more than their own.” Stanford University School of Medicine geriatrician V. J. Periyakoil, MD, said, “People drift into these decisions because they’re presented as the only recourse.” An expert on multicultural aging, she produced a moving video showing an African American elder deciding to stop dialysis after 12 years. (“If I would get a kidney now, it would be a waste… I’m not the person I used to be.” says Christopher Whitney.) Periyakoil urges patients to “think about what your life goals are as well as what matters most to you at life’s end. Be sure to discuss these important issues with your doctor so you can make your wishes known and make decisions that are right for you and your family.” |
