An educational tool for the care of the hemodialysis patient admitted to an acute care hospital.

The goal of this article was to develop an educational tool for nurses working in an acute care hospital in the hope of improving quality of care for hemodialysis patients. In Canada, the prevalence of end stage renal disease is increasing by approximately 10% annually (Mendelssohn et al., 1999). Today, the hemodialysis patient is often older than previously, and may well have multiple comorbidities resulting in hospital admissions in a multitude of settings. Hemodialysis patients are not always admitted under the nephrology service due to lack of beds or medical necessity. For example, a hemodialysis patient with an acute myocardial infarction would be admitted to a cardiology unit, where the cardiology staff are better able to treat the patient's primary diagnosis. When patients are transferred among the various hospital units, effective communication of knowledge and expertise between nursing staff is essential for care of the hemodialysis patient to be seamless.