One in every 6 adults in Spain suffers from chronic kidney disease, twice as many from diabetes. Like other chronic pathologies, it grows gradually and its prevalence increases by 3% every year, so if nothing is done, in 2040 it will become the fifth cause of death in the world and the sixth in Spain.
This disease is called a silent epidemic, because of the great impact it generates in society and public health and because of the low level of knowledge that the population has about it. Little is also known about the treatments used to replace kidney function when it fails, particularly hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. All of this is necessary to prevent and focus on early diagnosis, but it is also crucial that patients and family members of the health care, through dialysis, make humanity, so that they can participate in the therapy with which they go. for years
In this mission Fresenius Physician care for the prevention of kidney diseases, awareness of this problem and more humane care for dialysis patients with targeted care, in which, in addition to health professionals, members / caregivers and patients participate. with technological innovation to achieve optimal therapy in its dialysis centers.
One treatment, different therapies
Although every year thousands of people start receiving dialysis treatment, there is still a great deal of ignorance about this therapy, the way and place where it is performed, the name of each type of dialysis, that is, if a machine is used to extract and disperse blood, we will talk about hemodialysis, but if the process is done through the peritoneum , a cavity placed in the stomach, we will talk about peritoneal dialysis. The patient can perform these two types of dialysis at home or, if he prefers and is more convenient, at a hemodialysis center (in-center dialysis).
“It is the patient who decides what kind of treatment he incorporates into his life. The active role does not end there in that decision, but to take into account having him in the negotiation, which is long, because the involvement of him and his family/caregivers will be fundamental in his development”, explains Dr. Eva Baró medical director of Fresenius Medical Care.
The role of patients and relatives/caregivers is crucial in the entire medical process. Effective and efficient results cannot be achieved if we do not make patients and their families an active part of the process.
A key human factor in dialysis
Humanization of dialysis should be part of the ecosystem of care around the kidney patient. “Hemodialysis units are highly technical places with complex machines that mechanize too much care. It is essential to take care of dialysis to the human factor, because this is the axis on which care moves and where the patient is considered within the multidisciplinary team. For this reason, at the Fresenius Medici dialysis care centers periodically questions “We are working with patients to incorporate their opinion about the care received and into our protocols. In addition, we have quality controls that are carried out systematically and at different levels. In short, the care provided is about humanization and excellence,” Dr. Baró explains, as the medical director of these centers, which seek to make comfortable, effective and useful treatments, the excellence demanded by the patient and society.
Progress towards excellence
High-level technological innovations make the treatment more comfortable and efficient for the patient and easier for the healing professionals, who, thanks to this state of the art technology, have more time for other aspects of physical health. about these patients.
It is also necessary to advance the commitment to a culture change that contemplates humanization in all dialysis modalities. “Fresenio Medical Care has also incorporated humanity into the logistics processes and patient care that is handled at home. We have a staff that understands the needs of each patient and solves their requirements every time and in a personal way”, explains Marta Santillán, head of Commercial Excellence FME.
In perspective
Fresenius Medical Care is a global provider of products and services for people with kidney disease. It can also be a commercial or private property. The company, with its main activity and care for kidney patients, offers kidney procedures in complementary areas and in critical care.
According to data from the Spanish Society of Nephrology (Sen.), chronic kidney disease already affects 15% of the population, and its population has grown by 30% in the last decade. CKD is already among the 10 main causes of mortality in Spain and, if not treated, will be the fifth in 2040.
In 2021, new cases of chronic kidney disease increased by almost 7%, according to data from the Spanish Renal Patient Registry (REER), and 7,084 people began to receive renal replacement therapy (RRT) with dialysis or transplantation, which means that if previous cases are added, such as in Spain 65,740 people will be treated with this treatment, 46% of them will receive therapeutic dialysis.
Fresenius Physician Care seeks to raise awareness of chronic kidney disease in order to improve the patient’s quality of life
