Patient Education


The Network strives to promote patient education in the dialysis community.  It is in the best interest of every patient to be an active participant in his/her health care. The more you know about your treatment and the routine of the dialysis process the more you can be an advocate for yourself. Dialysis staff are frequently asked to do more in less time and with less resources. This can be stressful, and humans are prone to making errors under these conditions. You can help protect yourself by taking more responsibility for your care.

To assist, the Network has posted several helpful links and resources online, such as the following: 

Treatment Options
New Patient Materials     
Nutrition
Safety
Staying Active
Additional Resources
Life Changes

COVID-19 Education for Patients

2020 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

June: Vascular Access (English / Spanish)
May: Mental Health (English / Spanish)
April: Actions for COVID-19 (English / Spanish)
March: Kidney Awareness (English / Spanish)
February: Heart Health (English / Spanish)
January: Performance Score Certificate (English / Spanish)

2019 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

November/December: Yearly Medicare Review (English / Spanish)
October: Food for Thought - Knowledge for Action (English / Spanish)
September:

August: Vaccination Education (English / Spanish)
July: 

June: Hemodialysis Vascular Access Lifeline (English / Spanish)
May: Mental Health (English / Spanish)
April: Dialysis Facility Compare (English / Spanish)
March: Kidney Awareness (English / Spanish)
February: Heart Health (English / Spanish)

2018 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

November: Sleep Matters (English / Spanish)
October: Handwashing at Home, Play and Out and About (English / Spanish)
September: Vaccines for People on Dialysis (English / Spanish)
August: Patient-Centered Care (English / Spanish)
July: The Dog Days of Summer: Preparing for the Heat (English / Spanish)
June: Staying Independent by Understanding Your Risk for Falls (English / Spanish)
May: The Road to Kidney Transplant (English / Spanish)
April: Preparing an Emergency "Go Bag" (English / Spanish
March: Qualifying for Social Security Benefits with ESRD (English / Spanish)
February: National Heart Month - Taking Steps to Keep Your Heart Health on Dialysis (English / Spanish)
January: SpeakUP Campaign - Avoiding Mistakes in Medicine (English / Spanish)

2017 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

December: Medicare vs. Medicaid (English / Spanish)
November: Caring for Your Vascular Access (English / Spanish)
October: Coping with a Traumatic Event (English / Spanish)
September: The New Medicare Card Debut for 2018 (English / Spanish)
August: Vaccines for People on Dialysis (English / Spanish)
July: Getting Exercise by Going for Walks (English / Spanish)
June: Ways to Prevent Falls (English / Spanish)
May: Ask Me 3 - Good Questions for Your Good Health (English / Spanish)
April: Patient Disaster "To Do" List (English / Spanish)
March: Food for Thought: Knowledge for Action (English / Spanish)
February: American Heart Month (English / Spanish)
January: Vaccinations for People on Dialysis (English / Spanish)

2016 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

December: What is the CMS Quality Incentive Program (QIP)? (English and Spanish)
November: National Caregivers Month (English / Spanish)
October: "Ask Me 3" Campaign (English / Spanish)
September: Sepsis (English / Spanish)
August: Medicare Part D in 2017 (English / Spanish)
July: Beating Summer Boredom
July: Beating Summer Boredom (Spanish)
June: Preparing for Emergencies/Disasters
June: Preparing for Emergencies/Disasters (Spanish)
May: Vaccinations
May: Vaccinations (Spanish)
April: Peritoneal Dialysis
April: Peritoneal Dialysis (Spanish)
March: Social Work Month
March: Social Work Month (Spanish)
February: American Heart Month
January: Dealing with Depression
January: Dealing with Depression (Spanish)

2015 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

December: ICH-CAHPS Survey
December: ICH-CAHPS Survey (Spanish)
October: Peer Mentoring: FAQs
October: Peer Mentoring: FAQs (Spanish)
September: Sepsis
September: Sepsis (Spanish)
August: Reasons to Get Vaccinated
August: Reasons to Get Vaccinated (Spanish)
June/July: Hurricane Safety Checklist
June/July: Hurricane Safety Checklist (Spanish)
May: Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program Guidelines
May: Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program Guidelines (Spanish)
April: The Road to Receiving a Kidney Transplant
April: The Road to Receiving a Kidney Transplant (Spanish)
March: What Patients Need to Know About Safe Medical Injections
March: What Patients Need to Know About Safe Medical Injections (Spanish)
February: Your Kidney Transplant Team
January: Understanding Your Facility's CMS Performance Score Certificate
January: Understanding Your Facility's CMS Performance Score Certificate (Spanish)

2014 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

September is National Preparedness Month
"Keep Up the Good Work?" or "Resolve to Do Better?"
"Keep Up the Good Work?" or "Resolve to Do Better?" (Spanish)
Working with Your Healthcare Team
Working with Your Healthcare Team (Spanish)
Just the Facts: Fluid and Dialysis
Just the Facts: Fluid and Dialysis (Spanish)
Questions and Answers for Transplant Candidates about Kidney Allocation
Questions and Answers for Transplant Candidates about Kidney Allocation (Spanish)
Tips for Dialysis Patients During the Hot Summer Months
Tips for Dialysis Patients During the Hot Summer Months (Spanish)

2013 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

Heart Health on Dialysis
Heart Health on Dialysis (Spanish)
Diet Modifications for Thanksgiving
Diet Modifications for Thanksgiving (Spanish)
Vaccination Recommendations
Vaccination Recommendations (Spanish)
Travel as a Dialysis Patient
Travel as a Dialysis Patient (Spanish)
Catheters and Infections
Catheters and Infections (Spanish)
Hepatitis C General Fact Sheet
Hepatitis C General Fact Sheet (Spanish)
What is Patient Centered Care
What is Patient Centered Care (Spanish)
Is it a Cold or Flu
Is it a Cold or Flu (Spanish)
Is it a Cold or Allergy
Is it a Cold or Allergy (Spanish)
New Year Resolution
New Year Resolution (Spanish)
Hemodialysis Adequacy
Hemodialysis Adequacy (Spanish)

2012 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

Talking to Your Family About Kidney Disease
What Patients Need to Know About Safe Medical Injections
What Patients Need to Know About Safe Medical Injections (Spanish)
Become Involved in Your Health Care
To Do List: Patient Disaster
To Do List: Patient Disaster (Spanish)
Depression - Provided by Life Options
Depression - Provided by Life Options (Spanish)
ABCs of Dry Weight
ABCs of Dry Weight (Spanish)
How to Handrub
How to Handrub (Spanish)
How to Handwash
How to Handwash (Spanish)
How to Talk to Your Health Care Team - Provided by Life Options
How to Talk to Your Health Care Team - Provided by Life Options (Spanish)
Pain Management
Pain Management (Spanish)
Speak Up: Dialysis
Speak Up: Dialysis (Spanish)

2011 Monthly Patient Education Sheets

Travel as a Dialysis Patient
Travel as a Dialysis Patient (Spanish)
Anemia Facts
Catheters and Infections
Catheters and Infections (Spanish)
Fluid Restriction
Fluid Restriction (Spanish)
Hand Hygiene
Hand Hygiene (Spanish)
Kidney Transplants
Kidney Transplants (Spanish)