Wednesday, June 8, 2011

LIMBS 4 LIFE Promotion

It's that time again!  Encompass Network Partners LIMBS 4 LIFE Promotion!  Each year we offer one lucky Dialysis Clinic a six month FREE trial of our services.  Encompass partners with dialysis clinics to secure complete diagnosis, care and treatment options for patients suffering from critical lower limb ischemia and foot wounds.  It's simple, fast and we handle it all for you! 

To be eligible to enter, email us at:  Kburleson@encompassnetworkpartners.com.  We will pick one lucky winner on July 1st.

For more information, go to our website Encompass Network Partners

Or follow us on Facebook

Good Luck and thanks for being part of our community!
Encompass Network Partners
Saving Limbs & Lives!





Thursday, March 3, 2011

Many Kidney Disease Patients Unaware

Many people diagnosed with chronic kidney disease do not know they have the disease, according to report published in the March issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.


Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, surveyed 401 people with kidney disease attending a nephrology clinic. More than 75 percent of participants had stage 3 chronic kidney disease or above. While 94 percent of patients surveyed were aware they had a kidney “problem,” more than 30 percent were unaware they had a serious, potentially life-threatening disease. All of the patients surveyed were under the care of a kidney specialist, or nephrologist.

“The lack of awareness of chronic kidney disease among those who are affected appears to be greater than other health conditions,” said study co-author Dr. Julie Anne Wright from Vanderbilt’s Division of Nephrology and Hypertension. “Even when patients are under the care of specialists, they frequently have a limited understanding of fundamental topics, including symptoms, the course of kidney disease and risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension. This study highlights the need for providers to ensure that communication is not only delivered but understood between all parties involved.”

Beyond diagnosis awareness, results of the 34-question survey also showed that 78 percent of participants did not know that the disease may progress with no symptoms. More than 34 percent were unaware that they were at increased risk for heart disease and 32 percent did not know that the kidneys make urine.

Read entire article at Renal Business Today

Friday, February 18, 2011

Kidney Patients Ask for More Information on Options

Many kidney failure patients want more detailed information about their treatment choices, according to a new study.

More than 30 percent of the 1,000 U.S. patients who took part in an Internet survey said they felt that the different therapies -- in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis and kidney transplantation -- were not "equally or fairly presented to them."

Nearly 70 percent of the respondents told the researchers that they were not provided with specific education and training about home hemodialysis, a relatively new option that may offer some advantages -- including ease of treatment -- over in-center dialysis.

Overall, the participants were moderately to highly satisfied with their current treatment, but satisfaction was highest among transplant patients and home dialysis patients, and lowest among in-center dialysis patients.

Doctors had the most influence over people's choice of therapies, the survey found. And, what patients said they wanted most was more information on new treatment and improved medications.

The study was published online Feb. 17 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

"Dialysis patients should be provided with enough information to choose optimal therapies," Dr. Stephen Fadem, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and lead author of the report, said in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.  "Our survey shows that dialysis patients do not always receive uniform, thorough information about all possible treatment methods and, as a result, are only moderately satisfied with their pre-treatment education."

~BusinessWeek.com~

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Patients need wake-up call about link between kidney disease, diabetes

A multicultural study that will appear in the March issue of the Journal of Renal Care underscored the relationship between kidney disease and diabetes, and the need for greater awareness of this link.

In this small study, 23 South Asian diabetes patients and 25 white diabetes patients between the ages of 34 years and 79 years — with an average age of just older than 70 years — were surveyed to note any differences in the experiences, knowledge and attitudes of the two groups.

The researchers, led by Gurch Randhawa, director of the Institute for Health Research at the University of Bedfordshire, and research fellow Emma Wilkinson, found that many of the patients studied were unaware of possible kidney problems before their referral to specialist services. Overall, patients felt that they had received limited information about possible complications when they were diagnosed with diabetes, the researchers noted.

"Our research shows that low awareness and lack of information about kidney problems are common in both the South Asian and white patients we spoke to," Randhawa said. "In some cases, this was exacerbated by language barriers. The findings also demonstrate that the long-term educational needs of patients who have had diabetes for many years are just as important as the need to make newly diagnosed patients aware of all the health risks they face."
~ Drug Store News ~

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Foot Problems Common Among Dialysis Patients

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
Foot problems are common among people with diabetes. Most often, they occur because of nerve damage or poor blood circulation in the feet and legs. People with diabetes can develop serious ulcers (open sores) on their feet that are likely to get infected and are difficult to heal. As a result, people with diabetes are more likely than others to eventually need foot or leg amputations. Studies have shown that diabetic foot problems are more common among some ethnic groups than others. Studies have also found links between foot problems and other complications of diabetes, such as kidney disease. More study is needed to fully understand such links and how they may help to identify those in need of help to avoid foot problems and amputations.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?
The researchers wanted to learn more about how frequent foot problems are among people from different ethnic groups who have diabetes and advanced kidney disease.

Who was studied?
The study included 466 patients with diabetes from different ethnic backgrounds in the United States and the United Kingdom. The patients were receiving dialysis therapy for kidney failure.

Read entire article here