Press Release
Do No Harm Unveils Continuing Medical Education Course on Importance of Race in Kidney Diagnosis
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Over the last few years, as healthcare and identity politics have become more and more linked, there has been an attempt to remove race as a factor in health algorithms. Kidney diagnosis is no exception. In 2021, a task force of nephrologists recommended that the common algorithm to assess kidney function no longer include race.
This led many other medical institutions to follow suit. In 2022, the Johns Hopkins Health System adopted a “race-free” kidney function equation due the belief that there were no biological differences in the kidney between racial groups.
To provide healthcare professionals with correct information on kidney diagnosis, Do No Harm created a new continuing medical education course, Excluding Race From Chronic Kidney Disease Diagnosis and Treatment: Science or Politics?
The course debuted on BeaconLive on Wednesday, October 23. The author of the course, Paul T. Williams, PhD, will be also exhibiting with Do No Harm at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2024 on October 23 in San Diego.
At the end of this 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 estimate of kidney function (eGFR) most appropriate for each patient based on knowledge of the derivation and biases of each.
The course is available now. Click here to access it!
Additionally, Williams will join Do No Harm Chairman Stanley Goldfarb, MD, on November 7 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time for a live presentation of the course, followed by a short question and answer segment. This presentation is available only to our clinical and academic members.