The mental health of patients living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is an important aspect of their care. According to national survey data, depressive disorders affect about 9% of the North American population (Kessler, Chiu, Demler, Merikangas, & Walters, 2005). A review of psychological distress and depression across the spectrum of chronic kidney disease indicates that the prevalence of depression in ESKD is reported to be about four times that of the general population and it is associated with adverse outcomes including low quality-of-life ratings, graft failure, and death after renal transplantation (Zalai, Szeifert, & Novak, 2012). At St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH), patients on hemodialysis (HD) requiring psychiatry consultation had traditionally been referred to a dedicated outpatient psychiatrist. This presented challenges around access to psychiatry assessment and follow-up, as patients were reluctant to attend appointments outside of HD visits. The team recognized these challenges and addressed them through the introduction of the Medical Psychiatry NP (MP NP) role, as the point-of-care consultant in HD.

Chronic fatigue--an overwhelming subjective feeling of mental or physical exhaustion--impacts patients' everyday functioning and quality of life, delays recovery after hemodialysis, and increases mortality. There are a number of factors that may perpetuate clinically significant fatigue among individuals with chronic kidney disease, including sleep disorders, depression, sedentary lifestyle, anemia, and chronic inflammation. Some of these factors (i.e., anemia and inflammation) are in the forefront of clinical attention, whereas the other contributing factors often remain unrecognized. This article provides a pragmatic overview of the definition, assessment, maintaining factors, and management of fatigue in chronic kidney disease. Given that chronic fatigue is a major determinant of patients' quality of life, nurses can bring about a fundamental improvement in patients' well-being if they recognize the most common fatigue-perpetuating factors and facilitate fatigue management interventions.

As the number of Canadians living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) continues to grow, even higher numbers are living with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Many of these people will eventually require renal replacement therapy (RRT), either dialysis or transplantation. More than 50% of patients starting RRT today are aged 65 or older, with the fastest growing group being patients 75 years and older. Despite advances to dialysis technology and dialysis care, the mortality rates remain high and dialysis patients' end-of-life care may not align with their preferences or values. Advance care planning (ACP) is an essential component of quality comprehensive kidney care. Kidney care teams develop strong relationships with their patients and are well positioned to integrate ACP into routine kidney care. This article defines ACP, outlines the essential components of ACP, and discusses the benefits, challenges, and special considerations of ACP. By enhancing the kidney care team's understanding of ACP, this article aims to assist in integrating ACP into routine kidney care for patients with advanced CKD.

The Kidney Transplant Program (KTP) at the Toronto General Hospital has taken great strides in preparing to meet the needs of patients and health care providers, as the number of end-stage renal disease patients in Ontario increases. The KTP has begun the process of increasing engagement and collaboration with various stakeholders from the pre- to the post-transplant phase through (1) the development of innovative programs to increase the number of live kidney donations, (2) the development and maintenance of information technology solutions that work simultaneously to provide data to manage and treat patients, and conduct research, and (3) the development, implementation, and delivery of educational presentations and tools to various stakeholders both at the referring centres and the transplant program. Future steps for the KTP include evaluating the impact of these programmatic tools and activities on the number of referrals received and the subsequent effect on the number of transplants performed.

A major decision for patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) relates to vascular access (VA) for treatment. Patients who receive pre-dialysis care often defer making a decision, which results in initiation of hemodialysis (HD) with a central venous catheter (CVC) in an urgent or emergent situation. Little is known about how individuals make decisions around VA. In this context, a mixed-methods study was undertaken to explore uncertainty related to changing their VA from an existing CVC to a graft or fistula. Quantitative assessment was measured using the SURE tool and interviews with patients and nurses were conducted. Results revealed that none of the 16 patient participants reported uncertainty. Qualitative findings revealed that patient decisions about access were impacted by observations, experiences, and dialogue in the hemodialysis unit. Study findings have important implications including the challenge of reconciling epidemiologic population-based risk measurement to the individual patient’s situation. Moreover, the SURE tool was viewed as a mechanism to open a dialogue to confirm patients’ decisions and provide further education and/or support following HD initiation.

Use of ultrasound for hemodialysis vascular access assessment and real-time cannulation requires specialized training. In order to obtain basic hand-eye coordination, theoretical sessions on ultrasound use, as well as practical sessions using phantom models are recommended prior to its use in the clinical setting with patients. New users of this technology need to consider that all competencies can be achieved with daily use of ultrasound at the bedside. It takes approximately 500 guided cannulations to achieve the highest level of competency described above.

You are a charge nurse in a large hemodialysis unit in Ontario.One of the clerical staff has approached you today to assist withan update to her statistics on new and existing patients in yourunit. You are asked to clarify the cause of death for one patientand to clarify the date of transfer to the home dialysis programfor peritoneal dialysis on another patient. Finally, you are asked toremind the nurse practitioner (NP) to complete a registration formfor another patient who has just started chronic hemodialysis inyour unit. While you know the collection of data is important, thereare lots of patients to look after and you feel frustrated by havingto take time away from planning urgent hemodialysis requests--which are your priority--to source out information to complete aform. You reflect on this need for statistical data and wonder wherethe information on this form ends up and how it helps your patientswho are living with end stage kidney disease (ESKD).