Information for Health Professionals
During our project, consumers told us that their health professionals are an important source of information and support when making a treatment decision.
If you are a health professional who is supporting someone in Tasmania to make a treatment decision, the Patients and Carers resources may be useful to guide these important conversations.
In addition, the FAQ below also give further detail and background about the project and data to ensure health professionals have the knowledge and up-to-date information needed to support patients and carers in Tasmania.
Using these resources - FAQ’s
What is the CKD.TASlink project and what does the data tell us?
The CKD.TASlink study is a retrospective cohort study in Tasmania. The study used linked laboratory data to report incidence, prevalence and geographic variation of chronic kidney disease. You can read more about the CKD.TASlink study here.
One valuable measure from the study is the calculation ‘days alive, out of hospital and not on dialysis’. This calculation is used to compare the free time (or time away from hospital/medical appointments) between people who are on dialysis and people who are not on dialysis. The findings suggest there can be minimal difference in the number of days alive, out of hospital and not on dialysis for people when they are over 70 years of age. For example, the data says that for an 82 year old male will live about 3 years on dialysis (including about 2 years of ‘free time’). If this same person was on supportive care they might live about 2 years but would spend most of this time as ‘free time’.
This information can help patients to think about their quality of life and where they would like to spend their time. Health professionals have an important role in supporting patients, carers and their families to consider what is important to them and how treatment can impact their day-to-day life.
How did you develop these resources?
These resources have been codesigned as part of the ‘Decision Making About Care for Older People Living with Kidney Failure’ project. The project received funding from the Royal Hobart Hospital Lowenthal Muller Grant.
We discussed some of the findings from the CKD.TASlink study with patients, caregivers and health professionals. Patients told us that having more information would help them to think about what is important to them when making treatment decisions.
We held two codesign workshops and worked with consumers to develop the final resources. Resources were then tested with consumers and health professionals.
How can I use these resources?
These resources can be used to guide conversations between health professionals and patients, carers and their families.
During the project, consumers told us that it is important for information to be given at the right time and in the right way for them. The resources section has a range of resources suitable for different learning styles and health literacy levels. Our resources are designed to be suitable for people with a range of health literacy levels. Some resources have more text than others - for example, the case studies are more text heavy whereas the Easy Read project summary has plain language and images. Health professionals can help to guide patients towards resources that best suit their preferences and skills.
Where can I get more information?
You can read more about the project here and here. Keep an eye on publications from the CKD.TASlink and ‘Decision Making About Care for Older People Living with Kidney Failure’ projects.