European Kidney Patients' Federation Demands New Standards of Care Throughout Europe - Quality Guaranteed! Programme.

Health/Medical Writers

THE HAGUE, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 13, 2002

The European Kidney Patients' Federation, which brings together National Kidney Patient Associations in 21 European countries, launched its new Quality Guaranteed! Programme at the EDTNA congress today, setting out the basic minimum standards of care that kidney patients should expect.

Kidney disease affects more than 300,000 patients in Europe, with 230,000 needing regular dialysis and 70,000 with a functioning kidney transplant. Wherever a kidney patient lives in Europe, he or she will have more or less the same needs in his or her "patient journey" through renal disease. What can differ markedly between nation states is the treatment. The European Kidney Patients' Federation has now identified 10 key issues that it regards as the absolute minimum to be provided in each of the European countries.

Effectively a "bill of rights" for kidney patients, if implemented fully in every country these measures would not only make a huge difference to the quality of life of patients with renal disease, but could also make them live longer and more productive lives:

1.  The main focus should be to prevent kidney disease from
    progressing to end stage renal disease.

2.  All renal patients have the right to receive suitable medical
    treatment, irrespective of their age, sex, race, language,
    culture, religion, disability or their health condition.

3.  All treatment of ESRD should be of the highest quality.

4.  The cost of all treatment should be borne by society and be free
    of charge to the patient.

5.  All renal patients have the right to be clearly and fully informed
    prior to all treatment.

6.  All renal patients have the right to have access to
    rehabilitation, education, re-training, counselling and
    employment.

7.  All renal patients have the right to be examined and considered
    for transplantation.

8.  All renal patients have the right to second opinion.

9.  The government and medical authorities must encourage organ
    donation and transplantation.

10. The trade in human organs for reward must be forbidden.

"We have chosen to launch our Quality Guaranteed! Programme at EDTNA because the delegates at this congress, more than any other, understand the problems faced by renal patients wherever they live. Dialysis and transplant nurses are often the first to realise that a patient is not receiving the best care he or she could - whether that is medical, nutritional or in terms of psycho-social support," said Dr Gerhard Boekhoff, Vice President of the European Kidney Patients' Federation. Dr Boekhoff, a former dialysis patient who received a kidney transplant when he was 19 years old, will be gathering signatures in support of the Quality Guaranteed! Programme during the four days of the EDTNA congress in The Hague, which is attended not only by nurses but by social workers and other professionals in the renal care field.

"The more information is made available, the more it becomes possible for European countries to compare with one another. The European Kidney Patients' Federation is seeking out these vital statistics, to compare one country with another and to press those at the bottom of the table to do better. We intend to force up standards - with the result of gaining real improvements for patients," said Dr Boekhoff.

Notes to editors:

-- The full text of the Quality Guaranteed Programme, including explanatory notes, is available via fax or email - please contact Dr Boekhoff.

-- EDTNA: The European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association and Renal Care Association is a multi disciplinary association for renal care professionals with more than 5000 members in more than 65 countries worldwide. This year's congress takes place between 14 and 17 September in The Hague, Netherlands, and is expected to attract over 3,000 delegates.

European Kidney Patients' Federation (CEAPIR), Einingerstrasse 10e, 80993 Munich, Germany Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Email: [e-mail] www.ceapir.org