What is the Fistula First Initiative? The Fistula First Initiative (FFI) is a national quality improvement project that was established in 2003 to increase the use of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis (HD) access in incident and prevalent…
‘That was so cool! He looked a thousand times better! And his bloods too!’ Rob, our junior resident, was bounding down the stairs beside me, breathless with the thrill of the last 24 hours. We had met…
Raji* was feeling increasingly distraught as she waited at the doctor’s clinic with her 14 yr old daughter. The teenager had not been eating well and was losing weight for the past 6 months. She was always tired…
Quality Incentives for ESRD Care Reimbursing physicians based on the quality of care they provide is not a new idea. In the 1700s B.C. in ancient Babylon, Hammurabi’s Code stated “If a physician operates on a man for…
Time: 11:30 pm Place: Emergency Department (ED) of a public hospital in Mumbai (average attendance ~ 550 patients per day). A weary and teary mother wheels in her daughter ‘Asha’* who is in her early twenties. They have…
The cartoon that graced the cover of the April 1924 edition of Radio News depicted a physician linked to a patient only by sight and sound i.e. the Radio Doctor. The term Telemedicine first appeared in the medical…
As a new pediatric nephrology fellow, my first weeks taking care of patients on hemodialysis were overwhelming. Each of my patients had complex problems and intricate physiology, and I initially learned to focus on the numbers – clearance,…
Having completed four years of medical school, three years of residency, and now a few months away from my completing my training as a nephrology fellow, I experienced a new type of learning – interprofessional education (IPE). IPE…
As a child growing up in India, I have seen several family members performing ritual fasting. Fasting is a ubiquitous religio-cultural practice that is found, in varying forms, across the world. The month-long Ramadan and Buddhist Lent fasts…
ASN wants to know how you study and prepare for the boards. This quick 8 question survey will help the course directors improve the ASN Board Review course. Take a few moments and fill out this quick survey….