Second ISN Global Kidney Health Summit takes place in UAE
In March, 91 global leaders in nephrology, other renal healthcare workers and healthcare policymakers met at the second Global Kidney Health Summit in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to develop a strategy to address the unmet needs of patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) around the world over the next 5 to 10 years.
‘We need to better understand the global differences in ESKD care, consider the ethical, financial, and cultural issues involved in delivering care, and support the development of ethical and sustainable care in low- and middle-income countries,’ says ISN President David Harris who is leading the ESKD focus as part of his presidency.
Plenaries were given on the treatment of severe chronic kidney disease and the global non-communicable disease agenda, dialysis challenges and solutions in low-and-middle income countries (LMIC), and results from the ISN Collection Survey. Attendees came from 41 countries, including 16 from LMIC.
Harris adds: ‘This meeting has provided opportunities to define what we know and what we do not know about ESKD care, and how gaps in knowledge and practice can be filled.’
Kidney patient Kamal Shah says: ‘It was it was a wonderful experience to hear the many different perspectives from around the world. It gave me a lot of hope to see the emphasis on patient-centred care during the summit,’ says.
The Summit’s strategy will be built around the themes of advocacy, sustainability, equity, and integration, and will define educational and advocacy resources necessary to provide affordable, sustainable, and equitable treatment to all patients with ESKD.
All aspects of care will be addressed including dialysis, kidney transplantation, and conservative care in terms of safety, quality parameters, and a performance measurement framework.
There will be a series of outputs from the Summit, designed to inform researchers, clinicians, patients, and policymakers. Policy fora will follow on from the Summit and focus on delivering quality kidney care at a national and regional level, including for ESKD. The aim is to publish the strategy document in advance of the 2019 World Congress of Nephrology in Melbourne, Australia.
Find out more about the dialysis and ESKD focus, the ISN Global Kidney Health Summit and the rest of the activities as part of this focus.
The second ISN Global Kidney Health Summit was supported by unrestricted grants from Baxter and B-Braun.
