| [ Summary ] |
In 2013, the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy presented the hemodialysis (HD) guidelines comprising 3 components: the initiation of HD for maintenance HD, prescriptions for HD, and the proposal for a shared decision-making process regarding initiation and continuation of maintenance HD. The basic policy outlined in the proposal is that medical decision-making should not be confined to a single physician but should involve interagency cooperation and coordination between members of a medical team to provide sufficient support and information to a patient, thereby enabling patients to make accurate and autonomous informed decisions. The proposal is not linked with health economics or aging issues. The terms withholding and withdrawal were consolidated into a single definition of 'forgoing'. Forgoing implies that HD can be initiated or re-initiated at any time, depending on the situation. |