Conservative Kidney Management: Masterclass

The Conservative Kidney Management Masterclass will provide nephrology fellows, nephrologists, and other clinicians including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, social workers, and dieticians with the information and skills needed to provide high quality conservative kidney management (CKM) to patients with advanced kidney disease whose values and goals of care are not aligned with dialysis initiation.  

Taught by leading nephrology and palliative medicine faculty from across the HMS network, as well as international leaders in kidney palliative care, the CKM Masterclass will deepen the knowledge base of clinicians caring for nephrology patients in a wide range of settings. The course will review evidence related to survival and symptom management, including specific sessions on pain, fatigue, pruritus, nausea, restless legs, and insomnia. A session on nutrition in CKM will outline an approach to treating malnourishment and frailty in this population, as well as dietary recommendations that optimize patients’ quality of life. An interactive interview will highlight the patient and caregiver experience in CKM and emphasize the interprofessional team approach for providing high quality care.  

The CKM Masterclass will show that CKM is not the same as “doing nothing” or “giving up” – it can be a robust, proactive, holistic approach to care that prioritizes patients’ values over time.