Nephrologists Transforming Dialysis Safety

View the NTDS Promoting Infection Prevention Project Annual Report 2017 here.

Download the "Days Since Infection" Poster here.

NTDS Project Mission Statement

To enhance the quality of life for people with kidney failure by engaging nephrologists as team leaders in transformational change that continuously improves the safety of life sustaining dialysis.

Spotlight: Leadership in Dialysis

Patients with kidney failure who are treated with hemodialysis are at substantially increased risk of life-threatening infections. A feature article and a series of Perspectives articles in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN) provide important information on infections and their prevention in patients undergoing hemodialysis. The articles are part of the Nephrologists Transforming Dialysis Safety (NTDS) initiative by ASN and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One article looks at trends in infection-related mortality among hemodialysis patients, as well as the types of infections affecting dialysis patients. Others address multidrug-resistant organisms, preparing dialysis units for outbreaks of emerging infectious diseases, and the importance of adhering to recommended infection control practices. A feature article notes that NTDS is reconceptualizing the infection problem in the context of the complexity of healthcare systems and organizational behavior.

All of the articles may be accessed here.

Issue articles address:

• Urgent: Stop Preventable Infections Now
• Addressing the Problem of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms in Dialysis
• What We Learned from Ebola
• 100% Use of Infection Control Procedures in Hemodialysis Facilities and
• Systems Thinking and Leadership:?How Nephrologists Can Transform Dialysis Safety to Prevent Infections

Promising Practice

SHEA's online simulation-based technology platform enhances decision-making through an assessment, education, and training program aimed at delivering feedback and improving outcomes through "real-world" engagement.

Online training includes the following modules and audiocasts:

• Hospital Incident Command Systems: How to Lead When a Crisis Occurs
• Defending Against Superbugs: An Interactive Case Study Managing an "Outbreak" of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) in a Hospital Setting
• Online Audiocasts From the SHEA/CDC ORTP Regional Training Workshop

The training may be accessed here.

Feature Partner: Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA)

The Outbreak Responses Training Program (ORTP) is designed to provide US hospital epidemiologists with the tools and training necessary to provide effective leadership during outbreak preparedness, response, and recovery. From large-scale public health emergencies to facility-level outbreaks. We worked to provide expert guidance and leadership lessons across the scope of incident management.

To learn more, visit here.