Dataset Information

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

ABSTRACT: The health workforce is the cornerstone of any health care system. An adequately trained and sufficiently staffed workforce is essential to reach universal health coverage. In particular, a nephrology workforce is critical to meet the growing worldwide burden of kidney disease. Despite some attempts, the global nephrology workforce and training capacity remains widely unknown. This multinational cross-sectional survey was part of the Global Kidney Health Atlas project, a new initiative administered by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN). The objective of this study was to address the existing global nephrology workforce and training capacity. The questionnaire was administered online, and all data were analyzed and presented by ISN regions and World Bank country classification. Overall, 125 United Nations member states responded to the entire survey, with 121 countries responding to survey questions pertaining to the nephrology workforce. The global nephrologist density was 8.83 per million population (PMP); high-income countries reported a nephrologist density of 28.52 PMP compared with 0.31 PMP in low-income countries. Similarly, the global nephrologist trainee density was 1.87 PMP; high-income countries reported a 30 times greater nephrology trainee density than low-income countries (6.03 PMP vs. 0.18 PMP). Countries reported a shortage in all care providers in nephrology. A nephrology training program existed in 79% of countries, ranging from 97% in high-income countries to 41% in low-income countries. In countries with a training program, the majority (86%) of programs were 2 to 4 years, and the most common training structure (56%) was following general internal medicine. We found significant variation in the global density of nephrologists and nephrology trainees and shortages in all care providers in nephrology; the gap was more prominent in low-income countries, particularly in African and South Asian ISN regions. These findings point to significant gaps in the current nephrology workforce and opportunities for countries and regions to develop and maintain a sustainable workforce.

SUBMITTER: Osman MA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6336213 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

Osman Mohamed A MA Alrukhaimi Mona M Ashuntantang Gloria E GE Bellorin-Font Ezequiel E Benghanem Gharbi Mohammed M Braam Branko B Courtney Mark M Feehally John J Harris David C DC Jha Vivekanand V Jindal Kailash K Johnson David W DW Kalantar-Zadeh Kamyar K Kazancioglu Rumeyza R Klarenbach Scott S Levin Adeera A Lunney Meaghan M Okpechi Ikechi G IG Olanrewaju Timothy Olusegun TO Perl Jeffrey J Rashid Harun Ur HU Rondeau Eric E Salako Babatunde Lawal BL Samimi Arian A Sola Laura L Tchokhonelidze Irma I Wiebe Natasha N Yang Chih-Wei CW Ye Feng F Zemchenkov Alexander A Zhao Ming-Hui MH Bello Aminu K AK Bello Aminu K AK

Kidney international supplements 20180119 2

The health workforce is the cornerstone of any health care system. An adequately trained and sufficiently staffed workforce is essential to reach universal health coverage. In particular, a nephrology workforce is critical to meet the growing worldwide burden of kidney disease. Despite some attempts, the global nephrology workforce and training capacity remains widely unknown. This multinational cross-sectional survey was part of the Global Kidney Health Atlas project, a new initiative administe ...[more]

PMID: 30675439

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Project description:BackgroundOutcomes after acute kidney injury (AKI) are well described, but not for those already under nephrology clinic care. This is where discussions about kidney failure risk are commonplace. We evaluated whether the established kidney failure risk equation (KFRE) should account for previous AKI episodes when used in this setting.MethodsThis observational cohort study included 7491 people referred for nephrology clinic care in British Columbia in 2003-09 followed to 2016. Predictors were previous Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes-based AKI, age, sex, proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and renal diagnosis. Outcomes were 5-year kidney failure and death. We developed cause-specific Cox models (AKI versus no AKI) for kidney failure and death, stratified by eGFR (</?30?mL/min/1.73?m2). We also compared prediction models comparing the 5-year KFRE with two refitted models, one with and one without AKI as a predictor.ResultsAKI was associated with increased kidney failure (33.1% versus 26.3%) and death (23.8% versus 16.8%) (P ?<?0.001). In Cox models, AKI was independently associated with increased kidney failure in those with an eGFR ?30?mL/min/1.73?m2 {hazard ratio [HR] 1.35 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07-1.70]}, no increase in those with eGFR <30?mL/min/1.73?m2 ([HR 1.05 95% CI 0.91-1.21)] and increased mortality in both subgroups [respective HRs 1.89 (95% CI 1.56-2.30) and 1.43 (1.16-1.75)]. Incorporating AKI into a refitted kidney failure prediction model did not improve predictions on comparison of receiver operating characteristics (P?=?0.16) or decision curve analysis. The original KFRE calibrated poorly in this setting, underpredicting risk.ConclusionsAKI carries a poorer long-term prognosis among those already under nephrology care. AKI may not alter kidney failure risk predictions, but the use of prediction models without appreciating the full impact of AKI, including increased mortality, would be simplistic. People with kidney diseases have risks beyond simply kidney failure. This complexity and variability of outcomes of individuals is important.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Audiologists and Speech Therapists play a vital role in addressing sustainable development goals by supporting people who are marginalised due to communication challenges. The global burden of disease and poor social living conditions impact negatively on the development of healthy communication, therefore requiring the services of Audiologist and Speech therapists. Against this background, we examined the demographic profile and the supply, need and shortfall of Audiologists and Speech Therapists in South Africa. METHODS:The data set was drawn from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) registers (for 2002-2017) for the speech, language and hearing professions. This demographic profile of the professions was created based on the category of health personnel; category of practice, geographical location, population group (race) and sex. The annual supply was estimated from the HPCSA database while the service-target approach was used to estimate need. Additional need based on National Health Insurance Bill was also included. Supply-need gaps were forecast according to three scenarios, which varied according to the future intensity of policy intervention to increase occupancy of training places: 'best guess' (no intervention), 'optimistic' (feasible intervention), and 'aspirational' (significant intervention) scenarios up to 2030. RESULTS:Most (i.e. 1548, 47.4%) of the professionals are registered as Audiologists and Speech Therapists, followed by 33.5% registered as Speech Therapists and 19.1% registered as Audiologists. Around 88.5% professionals registered as Audiologists and Speech Therapists are practising independently, and 42.6% are practising in the Gauteng province. The profession is comprised majorly of women (94.6%), and in terms of the population groups (race), they are mainly classified as white (59.7%). In 2017, in best guess scenario, there is a supply-need gap of around 2800 professionals. In the absence of any intervention to increase supply capacity, this shortfall will remain same by the year 2030. By contrast, in aspirational scenario, i.e. supply is increased by 300%, the forecasted shortfall for 2030 reduces to 2300 from 2800 professionals. CONCLUSIONS:It is clear that without significant interventions, South Africa is likely to have a critical shortfall of Audiologists and Speech Therapists in 2030. Policy-makers will have to carefully examine issues surrounding the current framework regulating training of these and associated professionals, in order to respond adequately to future requirements.

Project description:Treatment decisions in kidney transplantation requires patients and clinicians to weigh the benefits and harms of a broad range of medical and surgical interventions, but the heterogeneity and lack of patient-relevant outcomes across trials in transplantation makes these trade-offs uncertain, thus, the need for a core outcome set that reflects stakeholder priorities.We convened 2 international Standardized Outcomes in Nephrology-Kidney Transplantation stakeholder consensus workshops in Boston (17 patients/caregivers; 52 health professionals) and Hong Kong (10 patients/caregivers; 45 health professionals). In facilitated breakout groups, participants discussed the development and implementation of core outcome domains for trials in kidney transplantation.Seven themes were identified. Reinforcing the paramount importance of graft outcomes encompassed the prevailing dread of dialysis, distilling the meaning of graft function, and acknowledging the terrifying and ambiguous terminology of rejection. Reflecting critical trade-offs between graft health and medical comorbidities was fundamental. Contextualizing mortality explained discrepancies in the prioritization of death among stakeholders-inevitability of death (patients), preventing premature death (clinicians), and ensuring safety (regulators). Imperative to capture patient-reported outcomes was driven by making explicit patient priorities, fulfilling regulatory requirements, and addressing life participation. Specificity to transplant; feasibility and pragmatism (long-term impacts and responsiveness to interventions); and recognizing gradients of severity within outcome domains were raised as considerations.Stakeholders support the inclusion of graft health, mortality, cardiovascular disease, infection, cancer, and patient-reported outcomes (ie, life participation) in a core outcomes set. Addressing ambiguous terminology and feasibility is needed in establishing these core outcome domains for trials in kidney transplantation.

Project description:BackgroundSexually transmitted infections (STI), such as chlamydial, gonorrheal, and trichomonal infections, are prevalent in pregnant women in many countries and are widely reported to be associated with increased risk of poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. Syndromic STI management is frequently used in pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries, yet its low specificity and sensitivity lead to both overtreatment and undertreatment. Etiologic screening for chlamydial, gonorrheal, and/or trichomonal infection in all pregnant women combined with targeted treatment might be an effective intervention. However, the evidence base is insufficient to support the development of global recommendations. We aimed to describe key considerations and knowledge gaps regarding chlamydial, gonorrheal, and trichomonal screening during pregnancy to inform future research needed for developing guidelines for low- and middle-income countries.MethodsWe conducted a narrative review based on PubMed and clinical trials registry searches through January 20, 2020, guidelines review, and expert opinion. We summarized our findings using the frameworks adopted by the World Health Organization for guideline development.ResultsAdverse maternal-child health outcomes of potential interest are wide-ranging and variably defined. No completed randomized controlled trials on etiologic screening and targeted treatment were identified. Evidence from observational studies was limited, and trials of presumptive STI treatment have shown mixed results. Subgroups that might benefit from specific recommendations were identified. Evidence on harms was limited. Cost-effectiveness was influenced by STI prevalence and availability of testing infrastructure and high-accuracy/low-cost tests. Preliminary data suggested high patient acceptability.DiscussionPreliminary data on harms, acceptability, and feasibility and the availability of emerging test technologies suggest that etiologic STI screening deserves further evaluation as a potential tool to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes worldwide.

Project description:Understanding how to source agricultural raw materials sustainably is challenging in today's globalized food system given the variety of issues to be considered and the multitude of suggested indicators for representing these issues. Furthermore, stakeholders in the global food system both impact these issues and are themselves vulnerable to these issues, an important duality that is often implied but not explicitly described. The attention given to these issues and conceptual frameworks varies greatly--depending largely on the stakeholder perspective--as does the set of indicators developed to measure them. To better structure these complex relationships and assess any gaps, we collate a comprehensive list of sustainability issues and a database of sustainability indicators to represent them. To assure a breadth of inclusion, the issues are pulled from the following three perspectives: major global sustainability assessments, sustainability communications from global food companies, and conceptual frameworks of sustainable livelihoods from academic publications. These terms are integrated across perspectives using a common vocabulary, classified by their relevance to impacts and vulnerabilities, and categorized into groups by economic, environmental, physical, human, social, and political characteristics. These issues are then associated with over 2,000 sustainability indicators gathered from existing sources. A gap analysis is then performed to determine if particular issues and issue groups are over or underrepresented. This process results in 44 "integrated" issues--24 impact issues and 36 vulnerability issues--that are composed of 318 "component" issues. The gap analysis shows that although every integrated issue is mentioned at least 40% of the time across perspectives, no issue is mentioned more than 70% of the time. A few issues infrequently mentioned across perspectives also have relatively few indicators available to fully represent them. Issues in the impact framework generally have fewer gaps than those in the vulnerability framework.

Project description:Background and objectivesPrognostic uncertainty is one barrier that impedes providers in engaging patients with CKD in shared decision making and advance care planning. The surprise question has been shown to identify patients at increased risk of dying.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsIn our prospective observational study, 488 patients ≥60 years of age with CKD stage 4 or 5 were enrolled. Binary surprise question (i.e., "Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next 12 months?") responses were recorded, and dialysis planning preferences, presence of advance care planning documentation, and care preceding death were abstracted.ResultsThe median patient age was 71 (65-77) years old. Providers responded no and yes to the surprise question for 171 (35%) and 317 (65%) patients, respectively. Median follow-up was 1.9 (1.5-2.1) years, during which 18% of patients died (33% of surprise question no, 10% of surprise question yes; P<0.001). In patients with a known RRT preference (58%), 13% of surprise question no participants had a preference for conservative management (versus 2% of yes counterparts; P<0.001). A medical order (i.e., physician order for life-sustaining treatment) was documented in 13% of surprise question no patients versus 5% of yes patients (P=0.004). Among surprise question no decedents, 41% died at home or hospice, 38% used hospice services, and 54% were hospitalized in the month before death. In surprise question yes decedents, 39% died at home or hospice (P=0.90 versus no), 26% used hospice services (P=0.50 versus no), and 67% were hospitalized in the month before death (P=0.40 versus surprise question no).ConclusionsNephrologists' prognostic perceptions were associated with modest changes in care, highlighting a critical gap in conservative management discussions, advance care planning, and end of life care among older adults with CKD stages 4 and 5 and high-risk clinical characteristics.PodcastThis article contains a podcast at https://www.asn-online.org/media/podcast/CJASN/2017_09_18_CJASNPodcast_17_11.mp3.

Dataset Information

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

Publications

Global nephrology workforce: gaps and opportunities toward a sustainable kidney care system.

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