Predicting ESKD Risk

Improving the Patient Experience of Hemodialysis Vascular Access Decision-Making (R01 DK129810) 

September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2027 NIH/NIDDK, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease

Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), who use hemodialysis as their kidney replacement method, require vascular access in the form of an arteriovenous fistula, arteriovenous graft, or central venous catheter to receive life-sustaining hemodialysis. Providers and patients face selection of a vascular access type without adequate evidence of likely outcomes. To overcome this key barrier, the goal of this R01 proposal is to optimize the patient experience of vascular access decision-making by: 1) developing an interactive, evidence-based guide to vascular access outcomes that incorporates a prognostic model for short and long-term outcomes of vascular access; and 2) identifying best practices for utilization of the guide during the clinician-patient encounter.