title: Palliative care in chronic kidney disease: peer mentoring program personalizes advance directives discussions.
abstract: Medical professionals in nephrology are trained to think about improving quality and quantity of life with their patients, but only recently are they being urged to consider ways to improve end-of-life care. For many staff, this still feels contradictory. One nephrologist recently told these authors, "I was trained to help people live, not to help them die." The RWJF Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care work group has investigated, accumulated, and designed resources to help renal teams improve in this challenging arena. Peer mentoring is one such powerful resource, and, once in operation, is cost free. In conjunction with renal social work and the renal team, peer mentoring is a wonderful program that can decrease anxiety and preserve caring relationships in our burgeoning dialysis communities.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, USA.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: June
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Swartz
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Swartz
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005582:Foundations; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000523:psychology*; D008611:Mentors / Q000523:psychology*; D008824:Michigan; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011788:Quality of Life; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000523:psychology; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration; D029181:Spirituality; D017749:Total Quality Management