This session will allow the attendee to identify current data regarding kidney transplant waiting time, donor selection, and long-term graft & patient survival based on donor selection. The goals of living donation will also be discussed as well as the overall risk, benefits and potential barriers for the living donor. A case based discussion will also be included in this session, looking at the personal journey of a non-directed living kidney donor.  

This session will review the state of telemedicine in the US prior to the Covid-19 pandemic and changes in regulatory and practice landscape for telemedicine in 2020. Covered topics will include key changes that enabled telemedicine expansion, early evidence for outcomes and disparity concerns, and future directions of telemedicine practice in the US.  

Some escalating situations are most effectively addressed in a matter of fact, patient and relationship-centered way in the moment by the people present. There is an audience anxiously watching these efforts- the other patients and staff on the floor at the time. How it is dealt with can make others feel safe or unsafe going forward. In addition, staff need to engage with their patients, families and caregivers so that when stresses occur, or feedback is offered (negative or positive) that it can be heard and processed safely so as not change the feel of the clinic floor. This has profound emotional safety, culture of safety and actual safety implications for all involved. We will discuss one case scenario and teach de-escalation techniques that are useful for the nurse leaders on the floor and the nurse leaders of clinics.  

This session provides an overview of the importance of seeking balance in volume management, balancing the harms of hypovolemia and hypervolemia. In addition, we will review existing strategies that can be used to individualize volume management.  

The purpose of this session is to increase the awareness of mental health wellness among patients and our formal caregivers. The participant will have a better understanding of the psychosocial challenges of our dialysis patients. The session will also increase awareness of staff burnout and practical tips of self-care.  

My session will uplift and educate individuals from a patient perspective on his personal experience of modalities and conquering the adversities in order to reclaim my life and survive until I received the gift of life.  

This session will highlight recent advances in peritoneal dialysis catheter placement beyond the traditional surgical approach. Percutaneous placement will be described in detail along with its advantages and disadvantages. Catheter placement options in leu of COVID-19-related kidney injury will also be reviewed. 

Policy changes including the Advancing American Kidney Health initiative and CMS’s ESRD Quality Incentive Program (QIP) recommend increasing educational initiatives within dialysis centers to increase living kidney donor transplant (LDKT) rates. LDKT education can be challenging in dialysis centers due to limited provider time to educate, patient fears or reluctance to learn about LDKT, and difficulty educating potential living donors. Digital first-person storytelling, or the sharing of narratives by individuals in their own words, is a culturally competent, health literate, a patient-driven approach that can supplement traditional educational strategies without additional burden for dialysis providers. The Living Donation Storytelling Project is an online digital library of over 150 video stories told by diverse kidney recipients, donors, those in search of a donor, and their family/friends.  

These are challenging times for both healthcare leaders and clinicians, so being resilient and living a balanced life often seem unattainable. This session addresses the need to reframe how we think about being resilient and balanced and to recognize that it is attainable. A unique combination of strategies will be presented along with specific examples on how putting yourselves first, changing your beliefs and adapting how you set goals can put you on the path to sustainable results.