Conservative Care, Dialysis Withdrawal, and Palliative Care: Results from a Survey of a Non-Profit Dialysis Provider in Germany

Barriers to conservative kidney management for Japanese healthcare professionals involved in the treatment of end-stage renal disease

BACKGROUND

Conservative kidney management (CKM) is a treatment alternative for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Despite the increasing population of elderly dialysis patients in Japan, CKM is not as readily available compared with that in North America and Europe. Therefore, it is important to clarify the barriers to CKM in Japan.

METHODS

We interviewed 11 experts to explore their beliefs and issues regarding CKM. Based on the interviews, we categorized the CKM barriers into eight categories and created a 24-item questionnaire. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 112 medical professionals involved in ESKD management. To investigate the types of barriers, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis using the questionnaire results.

RESULTS

Responses were obtained from 53 (47.3%) of 112 subjects (18 doctors, 29 nurses, 6 clinical engineers), with 94.3% considering CKM as a treatment option for ESKD. Factor analysis categorized the questions into the following: (1) Lack of palliative care experience, (2) Ethics and responsibility, (3) Patient's problem, (4) Dialog with patients and families, and (5) Lack of support system. Regarding barriers to CKM, "lack of experience in palliative care" and "lack of support system" scored the highest, and "ethics and responsibility" scored the lowest.

CONCLUSIONS

Barriers to CKM may be classified into five factors, with "lack of experience in palliative care" and "lack of support system" being the important barriers to overcome. Additionally, most healthcare professionals consider CKM as the fourth option for renal replacement therapy.

Curriculum „Palliative nephrologische Betreuung“

Palliativmedizinische Aspekte wie Dialysevorenthalt und -abbruch, Einleitung einer konservativen Therapie sowie kooperative Betreuung am Lebensende sind zunehmend Teil der nephrologischen Regelversorgung geworden. Die entsprechende Wissensvermittlung palliativmedizinischer Grundsätze fehlt bislang in Aus- und Weiterbildung. In diesem Konsensuspapier wird für das nephrologische Team eine strukturierte kurrikuläre Weiterbildung zu den Grundprinzipien einer palliativen Betreuung vorgeschlagen.

Integrated renal-palliative care in Germany - Results from a survey on end of life care in a non-profit provider

BACKGROUND

Palliative care-related problems in end-stage renal patients are similar to those of cancer patients. While the literature on renal palliative care is growing, real-world data on practice patterns of an integrated palliative care approach (IPCA) in Germany are lacking.

METHOD

An anonymous survey of end of life care (ELC; conservative treatment, dialysis withdrawal, decision making) was mailed to head physicians of adult renal centers (N = 198) including 13 structured questions and 1 open question for more detailed information on the current state of ELC. A free text analysis of the quality of established care and further requirements was provided.

RESULTS

Responses were received from 122 centers (62%) with 14,197 dialysis and 159,652 renal outpatients. Of the 122 centers 86 provided detailed responses to the open question and 4 different thematic patterns could be identified: centers with successfully established ELC (N = 17, 20%, group 1), those where intensified training and education were required (N = 19, 22%, group 2), centers which required structural improvement to establish IPCA (N = 39, 45%, group 3) and those which did not require further supportive measures (N = 11, 13%, group 4). Physician's age, sex, years of working in renal medicine, center size, and proportion of dialysis withdrawal and conservative treatment were not significantly different between the groups.

CONCLUSION

Despite equal general conditions, only 20% reported successfully established IPCA. Two out of three centers requested specific measures to establish or improve palliative care. Implementation of IPCA is hampered by educational and structural constraints. These real-world data suggest that structural determinants and soft skills (e.g. team motivation, leadership) can influence ICPA.

Nephrologists' Perspectives on Decision Making About Life-Sustaining Treatment and Palliative Care at End of Life: A Questionnaire Survey in Korea

Background: Nephrologists commonly engage in decision making regarding the withholding or withdrawal of dialysis and palliative care in patients at end of life (EoL). However, these issues remain an unsolved dilemma for nephrologists. Objective: To explore nephrologists' perceptions on the decision-making process about withholding or withdrawing dialysis and palliative care in Korea. Design: A nationwide 25-item questionnaire online survey via e-mail. Setting/Subjects: A total of 369 Korean nephrologists completed the survey. Results: The proportions of respondents who stated that withholding or withdrawing dialysis at EoL is ethically appropriate were 87.3% and 86.2%, respectively. A total of 72.4% respondents thought that withdrawal of dialysis in a maintenance dialysis patient is ethically appropriate. Responses regarding patient features that should be considered to withhold or withdraw dialysis were as follows: dialysis intolerance (84.3%), poor performance status (74.8%), patient's active request (47.2%), age (28.7%), very severe dementia (27.1%), and several comorbidities (16.5%). Among those nephrologists who responded to the question about the minimum age, at which dialysis should be withheld or withdrawn, most specified an age between 80 and 90 years (94.3%). Fifty-eight percent of respondents stated that terminally ill dialysis patients should be allowed to use palliative care facilities. In addition, a number of nephrologists thought that adequate palliative care facilities, specific treatment guidelines, enough time to manage patients, financial support, and adequate medical experts are necessary. Conclusions: Korean nephrologists thought that withholding or withdrawing dialysis at EoL is ethically appropriate, even in maintenance dialysis patients. Therefore, consensus guidelines for palliative care after withholding or withdrawal of dialysis are needed.

International variation in dialysis discontinuation in patients with advanced kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Decisions about dialysis for advanced kidney disease are often strongly shaped by sociocultural and system-level factors rather than the priorities and values of individual patients. We examined international variation in the uptake of conservative approaches to the care of patients with advanced kidney disease, in particular discontinuation of dialysis.

METHODS

We employed an observational cohort study design using data collected from patients maintained on long-term hemodialysis between 1996 and 2015 in facilities across 12 developed countries participating in the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS). The main outcome was discontinuation of dialysis therapy. We analyzed the association between several patient characteristics and time to dialysis discontinuation by country and phase of study entry.

RESULTS

A total of 259 343 DOPPS patients contributed data to the study, of whom 48 519 (18.7%) died during the study period. Of the decedents, 5808 (12.0%) discontinued dialysis before death. Rates of discontinuation were higher within the first few months after initiation of dialysis, among older adults, among those with a greater number of comorbidities and among those living in an institution. After adjustment for age, sex, dialysis duration, diabetes and dialysis era, rates of discontinuation were highest in Canada, the United States and Australia/New Zealand (33.8, 31.4 and 21.5 per 1000/yr, respectively) and lowest in Japan and Italy (< 0.1 per 1000/yr). Crude discontinuation rates were highest in dialysis facilities that were more likely to offer comprehensive conservative renal care to older adults.

INTERPRETATION

We found persistent international variation in average rates of dialysis discontinuation not explained by differences in patient case-mix. These differences may reflect physician-, facility- and society-level differences in clinical practice. There may be opportunities for international cross-collaboration to improve support for patients with end-stage renal disease who prefer a more conservative approach.

Perceptions of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and their informal caregivers on palliative care as a treatment option: a qualitative study

Background

Palliative care is increasingly becoming an accepted treatment choice for many individuals diagnosed with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Yet, its utilisation is non-existent in many lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study explored the perceptions of individuals with ESKD and their informal caregivers on palliative care as a treatment option for the disease in Ghana.

Methods

This was a phenomenological study, with an in-depth analysis of data collected from nine individuals with ESKD and six informal caregivers through individual, face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted in two renal centres within the Kumasi metropolis, Ghana among individuals with ESKD seeking care from both renal centres and their informal caregivers.

Results

Three main themes were derived from this study – motivation for initiating haemodialysis, facing realities of haemodialysis, and considering palliative care. Participants felt that haemodialysis (HD) was not meeting their health expectations and demonstrated a general willingness to utilise palliative care if it would reduce suffering.

Conclusions

This study has shown that individuals with ESKD or their informal caregivers would consider palliative care services, if available. It paves the way for discussions about palliative care for ESKD to begin across renal centres within Ghana and other similar settings. Exploring perspectives of clinicians in such settings could inform strategies on how to implement palliative care for ESKD management in such settings.