Improved Kidney Biopsy and CKD Treatment in Vietnam Through the ISN Sister Renal Centers Program
A Vietnamese nurse surveys endotoxins in dialysate in the hemodialysis unit at BMH
The Bach Mai Hospital (BMH) in Vietnam received training and guidance from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM) in Japan during their six-year collaboration through the ISN Sister Renal Centers Program and has now graduated from the program. Dr. Nguyen Thi Huong from BMH and Dr. Manami Tada from NCGM coordinated the collaboration between the two centers.
The Bach Mai Hospital had three main objectives at the outset of the partnership, to improve:
- diagnosis and treatment of chronic glomerulonephritis, particularly for renal biopsy, and hold a renal pathology conference
- management of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) not receiving dialysis and to share best practices with neighboring hospitals
- the quality and safety of hemodialysis in-center and in neighboring dialysis facilities
The center progressed from relying mainly on steroids to treat nephrotic syndrome and chronic glomerulonephritis to routinely carrying out renal biopsy for these conditions, improving outcomes for kidney disease patients. This improvement will ultimately help decrease the financial burden of hemodialysis patients on the Vietnamese health system.
The ISN SRC partnership contributed to better hemodialysis treatment in the Hanoi area through workshop sessions to improve dialysis water quality management. New dialysis consoles were introduced at the Bach Mai Hospital to establish the necessary quality of water and associated dialysis solutions in hemodialysis to improve patient outcomes.
The enhanced hemodialysis management system was shared with other health centers in the region, raising awareness of the issue in the country and resulting in the development of hemodialysis guidelines in Vietnam.
Marked progress in CKD patient management was attained through an increased schedule of training lectures and workshops.
The Bach Mai Hospital hopes to pass on its increased diagnostic capacity in kidney care to other local hospitals to improve the quality of kidney disease treatment in the whole of North Vietnam.
