Press Release

Do No Harm Launches Continuing Medical Education Course Highlighting Risks of Excluding Race from Kidney Disease Diagnosis

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • October 23, 2024

RICHMOND, VA; October 23, 2024 – Do No Harm is launching a free course that examines the consequences of excluding race from kidney disease assessments. The course is titled, Excluding race from chronic kidney disease diagnosis and treatment: Science or politics?

Beginning in 2021, many health systems advocated for removing race as a consideration in kidney function assessment equations, often claiming that race-corrected kidney estimates are manifestations of “structural racism.” 

This course aims to provide medical professionals with accurate information on the merits of both the race-corrected approach and the race-free approach.

“This course will help physicians optimize their care for patients with kidney disease,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, Chairman of Do No Harm. “By learning the intricacies of both the race-free and race-corrected estimates of kidney function, medical professionals can better predict kidney failure and prescribe therapy to their patients. Race is not simply a social construct; it is a biological reality that can have impacts on health. Decades of research indicate that including race in kidney assessment equations improves accuracy. Excluding race altogether from kidney disease diagnosis is an attempt to prioritize politics over care. Our course aims to provide doctors with the tools to always put care first.”

Click here to view the course.

The course will launch on October 23, coinciding with Do No Harm’s presence as an exhibitor at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2024 in San Diego. 

The course will help physicians best care for their patients with kidney disease. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  • Distinguish the strengths and weaknesses of the race-free and race-corrected estimates of kidney function (eGFR) based on their derivation, biases, practicality, and ability to predict kidney failure replacement therapy and mortality.
  • Apply knowledge gained on racial differences in current kidney disease treatments to address treatment inequities, including racial disparities in patient and primary care physician awareness of chronic kidney disease, treatment with various medications and nephrologist referrals.
  • Apply the race-free and race-corrected eGFR most appropriate for each patient based on their knowledge of the derivation and biases of each.

Do No Harm, established in April 2022, has rapidly gained recognition and made significant strides in its mission to safeguard healthcare from ideological threats. With 13,000 members, including doctors, nurses, physicians, and concerned citizens across all 50 states and 14 countries, DNH has achieved over 10,000 media hits in top-tier publications and garnered widespread attention through numerous broadcast news appearances.