(Sept. 4, 2024, New York, NY) – Today, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) launched NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease, a new interactive, online learning tool that allows people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), to learn more about kidney disease based on their individual health status. This interactive learning experience offers content in a dynamic and engaging way. An initial online survey encourages people to answer questions regarding their health and receive information tailored to their particular stage of kidney disease and what they need to do to manage their CKD and achieve optimal kidney health. Financial support for this educational tool was provided by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation (Novartis).
This innovative tool offers various essential learning journeys – CKD stages 1-5, dialysis, and kidney transplantation and addresses conditions related to CKD, including pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. To tailor a learner’s journey, this tool captures information about each learner’s kidney health, such as whether they have been told they have CKD, what laboratory data they have available about their kidney health (i.e., serum creatinine with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR), etc.) and whether they have any co-morbidities (i.e., pre-diabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity). People who are unsure if they have CKD are given basic information about CKD and questions to ask their healthcare team.
This learning experience features cloud-based responsive learning. The learning journey branches into different paths based on each learner's responses incorporating text, graphics, videos, and other visuals into manageable segments that allow the learner to focus on a particular topic or subtopic. The online learning tool also includes links to other NKF resources, so the learner can explore specific aspects of living with CKD.
This interactive, curated educational tool is a great first step in dealing with a CKD diagnosis. You can find more information about NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease here: kidney.org/ckd-journey.
“NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease was developed for adult learners because there are many obstacles to patient education that arise not only in primary care but also in specialty care settings,” said Dr. Joseph Vassalotti, NKF Chief Medical Officer. “This innovative tool offers those living with CKD at varying levels of health literacy the individualized health information they need to navigate their kidney health journey. People living with kidney diseases want to know what kidney disease means and what can be done to improve kidney health on an individualized basis.”
Many people rely on information found online to help them better understand the health information their clinician told them about during their last office visit. NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease will help people living with CKD filter through the volumes of information available on the internet based on their particular kidney health journey. Having comprehensive, evidence-based, freely available resources that guide people through essential information is a benefit to busy clinicians. Information provided in an easy-to-understand format helps patients understand what they can do today to take better control of their kidney health.
“Learning you have kidney disease is oftentimes frightening and frustrating because there is a lot of new information to parse through; those living with CKD need information that is understandable and actionable,” said Kevin Longino, NKF Chief Executive Officer and a kidney transplant recipient. “NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease was created for those who might be overwhelmed by their diagnosis and all the information on the internet, doctor visits, and social media forums. NKF is committed to being a credible source of information for every person living with kidney disease, or a kidney transplant, so they can make informed decisions about their particular stage and type of kidney disease.”
CKD is a widely unrecognized public health crisis affecting an estimated 35.5 million U.S. adults among whom approximately 90% of those don’t even know they have it. About 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. (approximately 80 million) are at risk for kidney disease. Kidney disease is considered a silent killer so people with certain risk factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and a family history of kidney disease, gout, or hyperkalemia (high potassium) are all at risk for kidney disease and will all benefit from utilizing this educational tool and learning more about their overall kidney health.
For more information about NKF Patient Journey: Chronic Kidney Disease, please visit kidney.org/ckd-journey and for more details about CKD or kidney disease, visit kidney.org.
About Kidney Disease
In the United States, 35.5 million adults are estimated to have chronic kidney disease—and approximately 90% don’t know they have it. About 1 in 3 American adults are at risk for chronic kidney disease. Risk factors for kidney disease include: diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and family history of kidney disease. People of African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, or Pacific Islander descent are at increased risk for developing the disease. African Americans are almost 4 times more likely than White Americans to have kidney failure. Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely than non-Hispanics to have kidney failure.
About Kidney Equity For All
Historically, access to kidney health has remained inequitable, with persistent disparities disproportionately affecting underserved populations and impacting the entire kidney patient journey. To address these disparities, NKF is urging industry and community leaders to join them on their KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™ mission by allocating resources to improve healthcare access and outcomes in communities of color. This is a tangible opportunity for businesses to incorporate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into their operations. For more information on KIDNEY EQUITY FOR ALL™, visit www.kidneyequityforall.org.
About The National Kidney Foundation is the largest patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease in the U.S. It is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about NKF, please visit www.kidney.org.