Survival, Decision-Making and Palliative Care Options for End-Stage Kidney Disease

Developed by the Ethics Committee.
Moderator: Elizabeth K. Vig, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Staff Physician
VA Puget Sound Health Care System
This session will present the benefits and burdens of dialysis in older patients; the Renal Physicians Association’s newly revised guidelines on Shared Decision-Making in the Appropriate Initiation of and Withdrawal from Dialysis; and management of bothersome symptoms in older patients with kidney disease.  

Helping Older Patients Make Informed Decisions About Dialysis Initiation
Ann O'Hare, MA, MD, Associate Professor, Division of Nephrology, University of Washington

Dialysis Decisions in Older Individuals
Elizabeth K. Vig, MD, MPH

Identifying and Managing the Palliative Care Needs of Older Patients with Kidney Disease
Darrell Owens, DNP, ARNP, Director of Outpatient Palliative Medicine, Harborview Medical Center