A passion for kidneys.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Carmel Gregan-Ford has a passion for kidneys. That's just as well, as she is the education manager for Kidney Health New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. (formerly the Kidney Foundation), based in Christchurch. Her passion began while agency nursing in London in the mid '80s and she was sent to a kidney transplant kidney transplant or renal transplant Replacement of a diseased or damaged kidney with one from a living relative or a legally dead donor. The former's tissue type is more likely to match, reducing the chance of rejection; but removal puts the donor at risk, unit. "The kidneys, now where are they?" she pondered on her way to the unit. Despite her initial ignorance, she came to love the work in the six-bed unit, inspired by an Irish charge nurse. "All the patients were in isolation. It was such interesting work." She became the unit's regular agency nurse and that chance assignment set her on a career path in renal nursing that has brought her great satisfaction. She has worked as charge nurse of the transplant unit at London's Chafing chafe v. chafed, chaf·ing, chafes v.tr. 1. To wear away or irritate by rubbing. 2. To annoy; vex. 3. To warm by rubbing, as with the hands. v.intr. Cross Hospital, clinical nurse educator A nurse educator is a nurse who teaches and prepares licensed practical nurses (LPN) and registered nurses (RN) for entry into practice positions. Nurse Educators also teach in graduate programs at Master’s and doctoral level which prepare advanced practice nurses, nurse at the former Auckland Healthcare, clinical nurse consultant with Baxter Healthcare and kidney/pancreas transplant co-ordinator with the Auckland District Health Board. She took up her current role in 2003 and her passion is undiminished. She brings all her nursing knowledge and skills--"communication skills are my forte"--to the role and loves dealing with those who face kidney disease Kidney Disease Definition Kidney disease is a general term for any damage that reduces the functioning of the kidney. Kidney disease is also called renal disease. . "What the kidneys do is quite amazing and the impact on people and their families when their kidneys don't function well is profound. I see what these people go through and what they have to deal with. They are amazing people." Her role as education manager is many faceted. She deals with the 24-hour information line, answering the 50-100 calls that come in each month. The queries come from many sources: nurses, GPs and practice nurses, newly diagnosed renal patients, those who have been on dialysis for a long time and, if transplants have been in the news, from people interested in finding out more about becoming a live donor. Those callers are referred to the transplant coordinator in their area. Gregan-Ford runs study days for diabetes and practice nurses; education sessions for community groups, recently travelling to south Auckland to talk with diabetes groups there, health expos at schools--"anybody or any group that asks really." She also organises an annual conference for the country's senior renal nurses, numbered between 40 and 50. "It is a very specialist area. I'm no Longer in the clinical area but I always get really inspired by those nurses. They are a group of very skilled nurses who are continually taking on more responsibility." Her main focus is on early intervention ear·ly intervention n. Abbr. EI A process of assessment and therapy provided to children, especially those younger than age 6, to facilitate normal cognitive and emotional development and to prevent developmental disability or delay. and detection. People at high risk of the disease are those with diabetes, smokers aged over 50, those with a history of high blood pressure, Maori and Pacific people and those with a family history. "If kidney disease is detected early enough, there are certainly things we can do now that weren't possible in the past." Gregan-Ford can be contacted at Carmel@kidneys.co.nz. For further information about organ donation, see www.donor.co.nz TARGETED SCREENING PROGRAMME NEEDED Chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also know as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years through five stages. Each stage is a progression through an abnormally low and progressively worse glomerular filtration rate, which is (CKD See count-key-data. ) is common, harmful and treatable. This is the message Kidney Health New Zealand gave earlier this month during the third World Kidney Day. World Kidney Day, March 13, is a joint initiative between the International Federation of Kidney Foundations and the International Society of Nephrology nephrology Branch of medicine dealing with kidney function and diseases. An understanding of kidney physiology is important not only in treating kidney disease but in knowing the effect of drugs, diet, and hypertension on kidney disease, and vice versa. and was marked in more than 60 countries. One of its aims is to promote awareness of the disease and a targeted screening programme. Globally, more than 500 million people, around one adult in 10, have some sign of CKD, but most do not know it. CKD increases the risk of heart disease and stroke ten-fold. It is estimated that up to 36 million people will die prematurely by 2015 as the result of CKD. "Chronic kidney disease is a growing problem in New Zealand, closely linked to diabetes and high blood pressure. It places a huge strain on patients, their families and the health system," said Kidney Health New Zealand's medical director Kelvin Lynn, "However, if discovered early enough, CKD is treatable. The main problem is that studies show up to 90 percent of CKD goes undiagnosed in the early stages. "By making people more aware of CKD, and educating them on who is at the highest risk and how to look after their kidneys, we hope to cut the number of people reaching the stage where they need dialysis and transplantation. Prevention and a targeted screening programme are our best chances of coping with this global health problem." Recently released figures from the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry show that in New Zealand in 2006, 484 new patients started treatment for end-stage renal failure renal failure n. Acute or chronic malfunction of the kidneys resulting from any of a number of causes, including infection, trauma, toxins, hemodynamic abnormalities, and autoimmune disease, and often resulting in systemic symptoms, especially edema, , the highest ever recorded. Diabetic kidney disease (42 percent) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease End-stage renal disease (ESRD) Total kidney failure; chronic kidney failure is diagnosed as ESRD when kidney function falls to 5-10% of capacity. Mentioned in: Chronic Kidney Failure end-stage renal disease , with 94 percent of patients having Type 2 diabetes mellitus Type 2 diabetes mellitus One of the two major types of diabetes mellitus, characterized by late age of onset (30 years or older), insulin resistance, high levels of blood sugar, and little or no need for supple-mental insulin. . A study from researchers at the Christchurch School of Medicine, published last year, estimated the cost of treating complete kidney failure kidney failure or renal failure Partial or complete loss of kidney function. Acute failure causes reduced urine output and blood chemical imbalance, including uremia. Most patients recover within six weeks. , with dialysis and transplantation, was $90 million annually (based on 2003 figures), with diabetic kidney disease responsible for about 40 percent of these costs. Report by co-editor Teresa O'Connor |
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