Kidney disease is associated with a high physical and psychological symptom burden. For patients whose condition is more compromised, receiving dialysis as a life-sustaining therapy may not improve longevity or quality of life. Palliative care for patients with kidney disease (also termed kidney supportive care [KSC]) is appropriate for this patient population. Nephrology nurses working in dialysis are well positioned to talk with patients about what patients perceive constitutes a meaningful life or death. A literature review was undertaken to find evidence about if and how nephrology nurses engage in KSC with patients receiving dialysis. Based on the 29 articles included in this review, the overarching finding was nephrology nurses working in dialysis are not routinely engaging in KSC. Reasons for this are varied and warrant further investigation.
Keywords: dialysis; kidney disease; nephrology nurses; palliative care; supportive care.
Copyright© by the American Nephrology Nurses Association.