Perceptions towards Nephrology Specialty: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

Background: There is a decline in the interest in pursuing a career in nephrology globally as well as locally in Northern Ireland. There is also an expansion in the burden of kidney disease worldwide due to a combination of factors like higher detection rates, increase in population size and improved life expectancy. Workforce shortages in nephrology have a direct impact on provision of care for people with kidney disease. Understanding perceptions among doctors towards nephrology is an important factor in acknowledging the barriers in recruitment and advocating evidence based changes to improve current practices. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore both the positive and the negative perceptions among medical students and trainees towards nephrology as a specialty in order to understand the factors that are most influential in either choosing or forgoing a career in nephrology. Methods: Scoping review methodology was used to address the research question through a phenomenological lens. Sixteen articles were included that studied the perceptions towards nephrology mainly through questionnaires and also through direct quotations. Basic numerical analysis and content analysis was completed. Findings: A total of 3745 participants including medical students, trainees and consultants participated in the 16 studies were included in this review at an international level. Most of the studies used survey (questionnaire) as their methodology (n= 10). The seven themes that emerged to describe perceptions towards nephrology were exposure to specialty; complex specialty; mentorship; work-life balance; financial compensation; personal interest; and procedural component. Exposure to specialty was the most influential factor in future career choice decision. The other factors that could improve recruitment in nephrology include innovative and novel teaching methods, good role models, flexible training and working patterns, and adequate financial remuneration. Conclusions: In order to rekindle interest in nephrology we need a multi-pronged approach based on ensuring early exposure to the specialty, good mentorship, holistic clinical experience covering different aspects of the specialty and the opportunity of flexibly moulding one's interests and skills whilst ensuring service provision, and with an emphasis on adequate financial remuneration.

Variation in performing kidney biopsy amongst nephrologists in the Asia-Pacific region: A multinational survey.

AIM: Kidney biopsy (KB) is the gold standard procedure for diagnosing kidney diseases. Globally, nephrologists are trained to perform KB. However, the past few decades have witnessed a transition where interventional radiologists (IRs) are now preferentially performing the procedure. Our survey-based cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the current trends of KB operators in the Asia-Pacific region (APR) in practicing interventional nephrologists. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The Association of Vascular Access and intervenTionAl Renal Physicians (AVATAR) Foundation from India conducted a multinational online survey among interventional nephrologists from the APR to investigate who does KB, if the nephrology training curriculum includes KB, and whether nephrologists have access to ultrasound. RESULTS: Out of 21 countries from the APR that participated in our survey, 10 countries (47.4%) reported that more than 70% of their nephrologists performed KB, whereas in 11 countries (57.6%), KB was most likely done by an IR. The frequency of nephrologists performing KB ranged from 0% in Afghanistan to 100% in countries such as Pakistan, Singapore, and Thailand. Formal training for KB and access to ultrasound was available to nephrologists in 80% of the responding countries. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that despite the availability of training and access to USG, a significant number of nephrologists are not performing KB in the APR. Similar to the trends observed in Western countries, the observed pattern in the APR could be due to lack of time, less incentive, hospital policy, or interest of nephrologists in other aspects of intervention nephrology.

Performance and Interpretation of Sonography in the Practice of Nephrology: Core Curriculum 2024.

Ultrasonography is increasingly being performed by clinicians at the point of care, and nephrologists are no exception. This Core Curriculum illustrates how ultrasonography can be incorporated into clinical decision making across the spectrum of kidney disease to optimize the care nephrologists provide to patients. Sonography is valuable in outpatient and inpatient settings for the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic kidney disease, evaluation of cystic disease, urinary obstruction, pain, hematuria, proteinuria, assessment of volume status, and in providing guidance for kidney biopsy. As kidney disease advances, ultrasound is useful in the placement and maintenance of temporary and permanent access for dialysis. After kidney transplantation, ultrasonography is critical for evaluation of allograft dysfunction and for biopsies. Sonography skills expedite patient care and enhance the practice of nephrology and are relatively easily acquired with training. It is our hope that this curriculum will encourage nephrologists to learn and apply this valuable skill.

Practice of dialysis access interventional nephrology procedures in the Asia-Pacific region: Getting lay of the land.

AIM: This cross-sectional survey aimed to determine the prevalence of Interventional Nephrology (IN) practice amongst nephrologists in the Asia-Pacific Region (APR), specifically related to dialysis access (DA). METHODS: The Association of VA and intervenTionAl Renal physicians (AVATAR) Foundation from India conducted a multinational online survey amongst nephrologists from the Asia-Pacific to determine the practice of IN in the planning, creation, and management of dialysis access. The treatment modalities, manpower and equipment availability, monthly cost of treatment, specifics of dialysis access interventions, and challenges in the training and practice of IN by nephrologists were included in the survey. RESULTS: Twenty-one countries from the APR participated in the survey. Nephrologists from 18 (85.7%) countries reported performing at least one of the basic dialysis access-related IN procedures, primarily the placement of non-tunnelled central catheters (n-TCC; 71.5%). Only 10 countries (47.6%) reported having an average of <4% of nephrologists performing any of the advanced IN access procedures, the most common being the placement of a peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter (20%). Lack of formal training (57.14%), time (42.8%), incentive (38%), institutional support (38%), medico-legal protection (28.6%), and prohibitive cost (23.8%) were the main challenges to practice IN. The primary obstacles to implementing the IN training were a lack of funding and skilled personnel. CONCLUSION: The practice of dialysis access-related IN in APR is inadequate, mostly due to a lack of training, backup support, and economic constraints, whereas training in access-related IN is constrained by a lack of a skilled workforce and finances.

History of Pediatric Nephrology in Türkiye.

This article analyzes the foundation, institutiona-lization, and development of pediatric nephrology in Türkiye. Erich Frank is the pioneer and inspiration for Turkish nephrologists. He pioneered the training of a new generation of modern physicians, the first generation of Turkish nephrologists, and the establishment of the discipline of nephrology. Turkish pediatricians closely followed these developments and tried to improve their knowledge, making an effort to study abroad. These physicians established pediatric nephrology departments in their universities, trained young pediatric nephrologists, initiated pediatric hemodialysis-peritoneal dialysis units, and realized renal transplantation in children. Another pioneer of pediatric nephrology is Prof. Ihsan Dogramaci, who established the first pediatric nephrology department at the Ankara-Hacettepe Medical Center in the 1960s. He directed many physicians to pediatric nephrology and provided them education and research opportunities abroad. Pediatric nephrology became a subspecialty in pediatrics in 1983 in Türkiye. Over the years, the number of Turkish pediatric nephrologists has increased; in 1990, they established the Pediatric Nephrology Association. This gave momentum to the standardization of education, better patient care, and scientific studies. Renal biopsies were initiated in 1964, the first pediatric hemodialysis application was conducted in 1974, the first renal transplantation from the living donor was in 1975, and the first continuous peritoneal dialysis was in 1989. With regard to international collaborations, since 2000, a council member from Türkiye has continuously been elected to the executive board of the European Society for Pediatric Nephrology; currently, the European Society for Pediatric Nephrology is led by President Rezan Topaloglu. Several Turkish pediatric nephrologists have worked in international associations. Today, Türkiye has 107 pediatric nephrology centers, 265 well-trained specialists, 28 hemodialysis units, 39 peritoneal dialysis units, and 26 pediatric transplant centers.

Trainee Love and Breakup Letters to NephSIM: A Free, Mobile-Optimized, Nephrology Teaching Tool.

BACKGROUND: It is not known how learners feel about free open access medical education (FOAMed) as they progress through their training from medical school to fellowship. Love and breakup letter methodology (LBM) is a technique that has been used extensively in user experience technology-based research but has not previously been used in evaluating medical education tools. LBM asks participants to creatively write a "love" or "breakup" letter to a product under study to capture their thoughts and emotions when engaging with it. We conducted qualitative analysis of data from focus groups to explore how attitudes toward a learning platform change at various training stages and to broaden our understanding of how we meet learners' needs through a nephrology FOAMed tool, NephSIM. METHODS: Three virtual, recorded focus groups were conducted with second-year medical students, internal medicine residents, and nephrology fellows ( N =18). At the start of the focus group, participants composed and read their love and breakup letters. Semistructured discussions were then led by facilitator-driven questions and peer comments. After transcription, inductive data analysis was conducted using Braun and Clarke's six-step thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes were seen across all groups: attitudes toward teaching tool, perception of nephrology, learning needs and approach, and application to practice. Preclinical students positively viewed the opportunity to simulate the clinical setting and unanimously wrote love letters. Reactions from residents and fellows were mixed. Residents were interested in brevity and speed of learning, preferring algorithms and succinct approaches to meet their practice-based learning needs. Fellows' learning needs were driven by a desire to prepare for the nephrology board examination and review cases uncommonly seen in practice. CONCLUSIONS: LBM provided a valuable methodology through which to identify trainee reactions to a FOAMed tool and highlighted the challenges of meeting learning needs of a continuum of trainees with a single learning platform.

Perception and satisfaction of nephrology education and training in Iraq.

BACKGROUND: Interest in training in nephrology is declining around the world. This is a particularly worrisome issue for future nephrology practice with the aging population and the increasing number of patients with kidney disease. We wished to understand the perception and measure the satisfaction of Iraqi medical interns regarding nephrology and explore factors affecting career decisions towards becoming a specialist nephrologist. METHODS: A web-based authors-constructed survey consisting of a Likert-type scale questionnaire to assess perception and satisfaction was used. It comprised multiple-choice yes/no/maybe questions and addressed the willingness to pursue a career in nephrology. Iraqi medical interns in their final 2 years of training, 2021-2022, were assessed. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty internal medicine Iraqi fellows participated in the survey (response rate 84.2%). Sixty-eight fellows (74%) described nephrology as a complex science. Acid-base and electrolytes disorders and transplantation were the most challenging topics, followed by glomerular diseases. Twenty-one fellows (23%) were satisfied with the quality of training and nephrology education during their medical school, residency and internship. In addition, 14% stated that they would pursue a future career in nephrology. The most selected barrier (34%) against choosing nephrology was a fellow's perception of the patient's complexity and the potentially futile outcome. CONCLUSION: The majority (76%) of Iraqi medical interns are currently not satisfied with nephrology training and education. One in seven would pursue a future career in nephrology. New targeted innovative approaches are urgently needed for the various grades of trainees to highlight the benefits of nephrology as a career.

The effect of genetic education on the referral of patients to genetic evaluation: Findings from a national survey of nephrologists.

PURPOSE: The success of genomic medicine hinges on the implementation of genetic knowledge in clinical settings. In novel subspecialties, it requires that clinicians refer patients to genetic evaluation or testing, however referral is likely to be affected by genetic knowledge. METHODS: An online survey was administered to self-identified nephrologists working in the United States. Nephrologists' demographic characteristics, genetic education, confidence in clinical genetics, genetic knowledge, and referral rates of patients to genetic evaluation were collected. RESULTS: In total, 201 nephrologists completed the survey. All reported treating patients with genetic forms of kidney disease, and 37% had referred <5 patients to genetic evaluation. A third had limited basic genetic knowledge. Most nephrologists (85%) reported concerns regarding future health insurance eligibility as a barrier to referral to genetic testing. Most adult nephrologists reported insufficient genetic education during residency (65%) and fellowship training (52%). Lower rating of genetic education and lower knowledge in recognizing signs of genetic kidney diseases were significantly associated with lower number of patients referred to the genetic evaluation (P < .001). Most nephrologists reported that improving their genetic knowledge is important for them (>55%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to enhance nephrologists' genetic education to increase genetic testing use in nephrology.

Reimagining Nephrology Fellowship Education to Meet the Future Needs of Nephrology: A Report of the American Society of Nephrology Task Force on the Future of Nephrology.

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) Task Force on the Future of Nephrology was established in April 2022 in response to requests from the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education regarding training requirements in nephrology. Given recent changes in kidney care, ASN also charged the task force with reconsidering all aspects of the specialty's future to ensure that nephrologists are prepared to provide high-quality care for people with kidney diseases. The task force engaged multiple stakeholders to develop 10 recommendations focused on strategies needed to promote: ( 1 ) just, equitable, and high-quality care for people living with kidney diseases; ( 2 ) the value of nephrology as a specialty to nephrologists, the future nephrology workforce, the health care system, the public, and government; and ( 3 ) innovation and personalization of nephrology education across the scope of medical training. This report reviews the process, rationale, and details (the "why" and the "what") of these recommendations. In the future, ASN will summarize the "how" of implementing the final report and its 10 recommendations.

The Australian and New Zealand nephrology nursing workforce: clinical pressure and organisational culture.

There has been increasing prevalence in the community of chronic kidney disease and an increased demand for nephrology trained nursing staff.We explored how nephrology trained nurses are impacted by daily caseload pressure, organisational support and workplace education.A co-designed 57-item questionnaire developed by the research team and clinical nephrology nurses hosted on Qualtrics™ was distributed to nephrology nurses in Australia and New Zealand.The 370 respondents described a strong professional identity as a nephrology nurse. 70% described pressure to work overtime and only 2% were adequately staffed. 40% felt at times that their patients clinical care was 'unsafe' and one-third described the erosion of work-based educational opportunities. However, team collegiality was high, a strength of the nursing profession.The nephrology nursing workforce will face important challenges over the next decade and there must be an organisational response to prevent continued staff shortages.

Determinants of Interest in Nephrology Career Choice among Internal Medicine Junior Residents in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: There has been decreased interest in postgraduate nephrology training over the years. This trend could worsen the shortage of nephrologists and inability to meet the health needs of patients with kidney diseases if not urgently addressed. AIM: To determine interest in and determinants of nephrology career choice among junior internal medicine residents in Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled 273 junior residents in internal medicine across Nigeria. A self-administered questionnaire that was adapted from two previous studies was used for data collection. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 33.6±4.4 years with a male: female ratio of 1.8:1. This study showed that 16.8% and 21.6% of junior residents in internal medicine considered nephrology as their first and second choice area to specialize, respectively. Factors that ranked high as determinants of a decision to do nephrology were personal interest (94.3%), opportunities to perform renal procedures (93.3%), and exposure to nephrology training (85.7%). Factors that discouraged a choice of nephrology according to respondents were high mortality of renal patients (67.3%), poor outcomes of renal patients (70.2%), in ability to fund treatment by renal patients (66.1%), unsatisfactory life-work balance among nephrologists (60.7%), and late presentation of renal patients (59.0%). Others were high workload compared to available doctors (59.0%) and poor job satisfaction (55.4%). Factors that could stimulate more interest in nephrology according to respondents included creation of better working environment with adequate equipment for training (96.3%), provision of health insurance with adequate coverage for renal patients (97.4%), and increased government support for renal care services (99.3%). CONCLUSION: There is a need to promote and sustain interest of residents in nephrology by ensuring improved survival of patients through better access to renal care, ensuring an adequate and well motivated work force, provision of adequate facilities and health insurance services.

INTRODUCTION: L'intérêt pour la formation postuniversitaire en néphrologie a diminué au fil des ans. Cette tendance pourrait aggraver la pénurie de néphrologues et l'incapacité de répondre aux besoins de santé des patients atteints de maladies rénales si l'on n'y remédie pas de toute urgence. OBJECTIF: Déterminer l'intérêt et les déterminants du choix de carrière en néphrologie chez les jeunes résidents en médecine interne au Nigeria. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Il s'agit d'une étude transversale à laquelle ont participé 273 résidents juniors en médecine interne au Nigeria. Un questionnaire auto-administré, adapté de deux études précédentes, a été utilisé pour la collecte des données. RÉSULTATS: L'âge moyen des répondants était de 33,6±4,4 ans avec un ratio homme/femme de 1,8:1. Cette étude a montré que 16,8 % et 21,6 % des résidents juniors en médecine interne considéraient la néphrologie comme leur premier et deuxième choix de spécialisation, respectivement. Les facteurs les plus déterminants dans la décision de se spécialiser en néphrologie étaient l'intérêt personnel (94,3 %), la possibilité de pratiquer des interventions rénales (93,3 %) et l'exposition à la formation en néphrologie (85,7 %). Les facteurs qui découragent le choix de la néphrologie selon les répondants sont la mortalité élevée (67,3 %), les résultats médiocres (70,2 %), l'incapacité de financer le traitement (66,1 %), l'équilibre vie-travail insatisfaisant (60,7 %) et la présentation tardive des patients rénaux (59,0 %). D'autres facteurs sont la charge de travail élevée par rapport aux médecins disponibles (59,0 %) et la faible satisfaction au travail (55,4 %). Les facteurs qui pourraient susciter un plus grand intérêt pour la néphrologie, selon les répondants, sont la création d'un meilleur environnement de travail avec des équipements adéquats pour la formation (96,3%), la mise en place d'une assurance maladie avec une couverture adéquate pour les patients atteints de maladies rénales (97,4%), et un soutien accru dugouvernement pour les services de soins rénaux (99,3%). CONCLUSION: Il est nécessaire de promouvoir et de soutenir l'intérêt des résidents pour la néphrologie en assurant une meilleure survie des patients grâce à un meilleur accès aux soins rénaux, en assurant une main-d'œuvre adéquate et bien motivée, en fournissant des installations adéquates et des services d'assurance maladie. Mots clés: Néphrologie, Carrière, Intérêt, Résidents, Médecine interne.

Onco-nephrology: Physicians' Expectations About a New Subspecialty.

INTRODUCTION: Renal events are common in cancer patients and malignancy is a prevalent complication in both patients transplanted and under kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In recent years, onco-nephrology has been developed as a subspecialty whose scope has not been well established yet. The aim of our study was to assess resident and senior physicians' knowledge and expectations about onco-nephrology. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Two anonymous self-administered online questionnaires were developed by a multidisciplinary team and distributed to French residents and senior physicians. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-eight physicians answered the survey, including 128 (56%) nephrologists, of which 98 (43%) were senior physicians and 130 (57%) were residents. Nephrologists rated their confidence in their ability to face onco-nephrological situation at 6/10 (interquartile range (IQR) 4.0-7.0) and oncologists at 6.0/10 (5.0-7.0). Managing cancer drugs in patients on KRT or in transplanted patients and discussion about introducing dialysis in cancer patients were designated as the most challenging topics. Asking if they had received appropriate learning, residents' median agreement was ranked at 3.0/10 (2.0-4.0). Forty-six percent of the respondents considered available resources as not appropriate. Specialized onco-nephrology consultations were accessible for 21% of the respondents. Finally, respondents thought there is a strong need for a national working group (8.3/10) with 87% of them expecting new reliable guidelines. CONCLUSION: The present survey revealed physicians' expectations about onco-nephrology implementation in France. An appropriate answer could be the creation of a national working group. Therefore, GRIFON (Groupe de Recherche Interdisciplinaire en OncoNéphrologie) has recently been created.

Harnessing Social Media to Enhance Nephrology Academia.

The process of learning has been confined to the realms of educational institutions. Over the last ten years, the semantics of social media networks have evolved with the use of mobile gadgets. Consequently, nephrologists have realised the potential benefits of using these platforms for their educational and career development. Social media can change the horizon of nephrology education. The concept of bedside examination, teaching and sharing experiences have changed with the advent of Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and X (former Twitter). Other networking portals, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, X (former Twitter), and Pinterest, have also amassed the attention of selected users. Despite split opinions on the utility of social media, it is undeniable that it has influenced interaction between students and mentors. Resources ranging from online networks, blogs, visual aids, podcasts, online journal clubs, videos, live conference coverages, and tutorials have made it possible for nephrologists to stay informed and educated with recent updates. In this review, we discuss how social media can enrich nephrology academia, facilitate the sharing of research and access to fellowships and mentorship programs, provide career prospects to trainees, and broadcast scientific conferences while bringing nephrology societies together. Keywords: education; nephrology; social media.