| Theme | Preventive Medical Screening and Health Check-ups for Dialysis patients | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Regular laboratory examinations and preventive medical screening for dialysis patients | |
| Publish Date | 2009/02 | |
| Author | Yasuhiro Komatsu | Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine,St. Luke's International Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | Nephrologists may be either specialists or primary care physicians. They can provide dialysistreatment and manage end-stage renal disease. Furthermore, they play the role of primary care physicians since they are the physicians dialysis patients see most often and rely on most. Nephrologsits need to plan adequate monthly or annualroutine laboratory examinations to assure the quality of ESRD care. Nephrologists also need to recommend patients for screening and health check-ups from a preventive medicine perspecitive. However, designing screening programs for dialysis patients is challenging in the absence of valid evidence. This article describes issues to be considered when developing screening and health check-up programs for dialysis patients. | |