How Patient Activation Made It Possible to Thrive with Kidney Disease

By DAVE WHITE It had been 10 years since I’d seen a doctor when I arrived at the Emergency Room at George Washington University Hospital in October 2009. I was able to climb the first flight of stairs, but after I froze on the second, they brought me in on a wheelchair. That was the first time I heard the dreaded words, “Your kidneys aren’t working.” I was put on dialysis immediately, and my life transformed into a series of tests and procedures. But even after three weeks at the hospital, it didn’t sink in that there was no cure. I checked most risk factors for kidney disease: I ate the wrong foods, smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day, drank too much beer, and didn’t exercise much. But the biggest risk to my health was not getting regular check-ups. I didn’t think I needed them, or that I had a part to play in my own health. I hated going to dialysis three times a week. Since I could no longer work, the $20 cab fare each way was an expense my wife and I struggled to afford, so I skipped often. When a nurse warned me that if I missed three sessions in a row I would have to be dialyzed at the hospital, I decided this meant I could get away with one session a week. The care plan I received from my providers called me “non-compliant” seven times. I felt they had written me off as a lost cause and saw no point in working with them either. Finally, I was called into a meeting with six nurses, social workers, and clinic staff. When I said...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Policy chronic kidney disease Dave White Patient Activation Measure Patient Activism patient advocacy Source Type: blogs