Dialysis nursing care models

[kdunurse]

I work in a 19 chair out patient facility, and am sitting on our unit's care council. Currently all of our nurses have a list of primary patients (approx 4-5 patients per nurse). The primary nurse is responsible to meet monthly with "her" patients and at that time provide education to the patient, review monthly labs, create an individual care plan for each patient, and complete assessments as necessary for our interdisciplinary care conferences.

We have begun to research other models of primary nursing other units may use.

Any information/input would be appreciated. Thank you!

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Wow!

Have never heard of a nursing model for outpt chronic HD.

In my practice, the pt has a nephrologist, an APN (me) and then the nursing staff including RNs and techs.

I go over all the labs/meds/plans/tests/assessments, etc with each of my 210 pts. This is a large 15 MD, 5 mid-level (PAs, NPs, CNS) practice. We have our own access surgeons and outpt surgi-center for access placements, fistulograms, shuntograms, PC placements. We are also part of a large renal and kidney/pancreas tx center. We have 20 plus outpt HD units that we staff.