Nephrologists Transforming Dialysis Safety

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.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

This page was last updated on March 26, 2020

Publications

• Mitigating Risk of COVID-19 in Dialysis Facilities. This concise publication brings the evidence-based guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the practical judgment of dialysis clinicians, brought together by the American Society of Nephrology (ASN), to inform best practice for in-center hemodialysis. (Added: March 25, 2020)



ASN Resources and Recommendations

• Recommendations:
  • Recommendations on the Care of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19 and Kidney Failure Requiring Renal Replacement Therapy. Physician leaders affiliated with the AKI!Now initiative have developed, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), general recommendations regarding in-hospital renal replacement therapy (RRT) for patients with COVID-19, and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). (Added: March 21, 2020)
  • ASN has developed Information for Screening and Management of COVID-19 in the Outpatient Dialysis Facility. This information will be updated as new information becomes available. (Updated: March 13, 2020)
• Webinars:
  • COVID-19 Informational Webinar for Providers of Dialysis Services (Recorded March 11, 2020)
    ASN conducted an informational webinar focusing on new COVID-19 guidance for dialysis facilities from CDC and a presentation on managing patients with COVID-19 who require dialysis. This 60-minute webinar explored the possible implications for patients receiving renal replacement therapy and the staff who care for them. The webinar addressed the unique challenges regarding facility preparation, maintaining infection prevention standards, and providing dialysis in the age of COVID-19. The March 11th webinar recording is now available.
• Other:
  • Awareness Poster: To assist with the sharing of information within the dialysis facility, ASN has created the attached COVID-19 awareness poster for facility use.
  • The Awareness Poster is also available in Spanish: COVID-19 awareness poster (Spanish).
  
  

  The CDC website offers these Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) resources:

  • What You Should Know, Situation Updates, and Latest News and Communications (Latest Update: March 23, 2020)
  • Information for Clinicians on Therapeutic Options for COVID-19 Patients (Page last reviewed: March 21, 2020)
  • Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE (Page last reviewed: March 17, 2020)
  • Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance) (Page last reviewed: March 16, 2020)
  • Discontinuation of Home Isolation for Persons with COVID-19 (Interim Guidance) (Page last reviewed: March 16, 2020)
  • Interim Additional Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 in Outpatient Hemodialysis Facilities (Page last reviewed: March 10, 2020)
  • Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings (Page last reviewed: March 10, 2020)
  • Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings (Page last reviewed: March 10, 2020)
  • Information for Healthcare Professionals (Page last reviewed: March 3, 2020)
  • Resources for Hospitals and Healthcare Professionals Preparing for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed COVID-19 (Page last reviewed: February 15, 2020)
  
  

  Additional Resources Available:

  • COVID-19 PREPRINT ARTICLES: Due to the high volume of information sought regarding COVID-19, a number of scholarly articles have been released as preprint resources. Articles that are labeled as preprints have not yet been reviewed or revised by other experts; they should not be relied on for clinical guidance. ASN has not reviewed, and does not endorse, any of these resources. COVID-19 Preprint Resource Library Articles to access these materials.
  • Nephron has published recent findings on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on kidney diseases, including acute kidney injury, and examine the potential effects of ARBs on the outcomes of patients with COVID-19: Should COVID-19 Concern Nephrologists? Why and to What Extent? The Emerging Impasse of Angiotensin Blockade (Published online: March 23, 2020).
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) is maintaining a page which posts situation reports, travel advice, and technical guidance, among other information.
  • The American College of Physicians (ACP) is also maintaining a page with information for internists, including Novel Coronavirus: A Physician's Guide.
  • HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) recommends that facilities contact their local/state health department and local/state healthcare coalition if supplies are running low. Click here for ASPR's regional contact information.
  • HHS' Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) has posted Information for transplant programs and OPOs regarding 2019 Novel Coronavirus on its site.
  • The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has developed a page which includes updates, fast facts, and FDA's role. The FDA has also posted a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Supply Chain Update (FDA).
  • The National Academy of Medicine has posted Duty to Plan: Health Care, Crisis Standards of Care, and Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2(Posted: March 5, 2020)
  • "The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do" is a short video from Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, a Munich-based YouTube channel, that uses colorful animation to explain COVID-19, what actually happens when it infects a human, and what we should all do to prevent its spread. (Posted: March 19, 2020)
  • A compilation of preprint articles related to COVID-19.
  • The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) has developed a COVID-19 Fact Sheet (APIC) in response to recent events.
  • Sciendo has set up a free web resource listing all its Coronavirus Open Access articles (Sciendo).
  • The VA presented information on "COVID-19 VA Dialysis Preparedness" on March 11, 2020.
  • The New England Journal of Medicine has posted a collection of articles and other resources on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including clinical reports, management guidelines, and commentary.
  • The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has posted a special report on "The Coronavirus Crisis". View the WSJ special report here.
  • The Semantic Scholar has posted a COVID-19 Open Research Dataset (CORD-19). This free resource contains over 29,000 scholarly articles about COVID-19.

  Hand washing is essential. View the NTDS Resource Library for more information.

  NEW ONLINE LEARNING MODULE. In partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NTDS is pleased to present this online resource, which presents core infection prevention and patient safety concepts in a case-based format. To view the Module, click here.

  NTDS is pleased to present the Annual Report for Year 3 of the NTDS Project! To view the Report, click here.

  Download the "Days Since Infection" Poster here.

  

  Standardization of Blood Culture Collection for Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis

  In collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Standardization of Blood Culture Collection for Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis was developed by an NTDS workgroup in response to requests from healthcare professionals engaged in outpatient hemodialysis care. The document seeks to provide an accessible summary of information from published guidelines, reports and studies. Sample protocols for obtaining blood cultures and communication tools are provided. Collectively the information is intended to provide a reference for dialysis facilities as they develop facility-specific procedures, policies and protocols.

  View the Standardization of Blood Culture Collection for Patients Receiving In-Center Hemodialysis resource here.

  
  
  

  Flu season has arrived.

  CDC recommends annual influenza vaccination for everyone 6 months and older with any licensed, influenza vaccine that is appropriate for the recipient's age and health status, (IIV, RIV4, or LAIV4) with no preference expressed for any one vaccine over another.

  The CDC website offers many influenza-related resources:

  • Recommendations: Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — United States, 2019–20 Influenza Season
  • #Fight Flu: CDC Digital Media Toolkit: 2019-20 Flu Season
  • Communication resources: Includes print materials, factsheets, and videos and podcasts
  
  
  

  View these and other influenza-related CDC resources here.

  
  
  

  Promising Practice: CDC Video- Speak Up: Making Dialysis Safer for Patients

  The Coalition and the American Association of Kidney Patients have released a new video for patients on dialysis and dialysis staff about the importance of speaking up to prevent infections and improve patient safety. Infections are serious and sometimes life-threatening, but together we can do something to stop them. The video follows the journey of two patients on dialysis who feel empowered to speak up and share concerns about their treatment, in order to prevent infections. The video also highlights ways dialysis staff can create an environment where patients feel safe speaking up. This video is open access. You are free to use it in any communication channels. Patients are encouraged to post the video on social media and share with family and friends. Clinics are encouraged to show the video during dialysis treatments, play it in waiting rooms, and post links within patient and staff educational materials.

  Click here to view Speak Up: Making Dialysis Safer for Patients.