Wilmington’s World Kidney Day Connects Community to Kidney Disease Screening Education and Research
Partners in Research, a community engagement effort spearheaded by the Value Institute, helped organize a local World Kidney Day event in Wilmington that offered community members free health screenings and education about kidney disease.
The focus of this year’s event, hosted March 9 by Henrietta Johnson Medical Center in Wilmington, was the effect of obesity on kidney disease, and participants were offered free screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure and high body mass index – all risk factors that can lead to the development of chronic kidney disease or speed progression of the disease.
The event also featured a panel discussion with kidney disease patients and Christiana Care physicians, dietitians and other health care providers to share their experiences and answer questions.
As part of its community engagement effort, Partners in Research is reaching out to chronic kidney disease patients and stakeholders to help develop patient-centered outcomes research projects in conjunction with the statewide Chronic Kidney Disease registry it is building.
Partners in Research shared information about its Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded community engagement effort, which began in September 2015 with a conference during which patients and stakeholders were introduced to the effort and were asked for their help in identifying outcomes and research topics important to them.
Partners also shared information about the Chronic Kidney Disease registry being developed by the Value Institute, which integrates data from multiple sources to create a unified longitudinal care record. Researchers hope to use the registry to improve the health and quality of life for kidney disease patients in Delaware. Partners in Research was formed to ensure that the registry is useful for patients, providers and other stakeholders.
Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki issued a proclamation declaring March 9 as World Kidney Day in Wilmington, in honor of the work being done by Henrietta Johnson Medical Center and Partners in Research to combat kidney disease and improve community health.
For more information about Partners in Research, go to delaware-ckd.org.