MONDAY, March 23, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Conservative management of people with kidney failure throughout the chronic kidney disease (CKD) trajectory is discussed in an article and executive summary published online Jan. 9 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
Susan P.Y. Wong, M.D., from the University of Washington and VA Puget Sound Health Care System in Seattle, and colleagues provide evidence-based clinical guidance for best practices in conservative management care delivery for patients with kidney failure.
The authors note that three components are included within conservative management: customized CKD care, symptom management, and smooth navigation of care transitions. The guidance document describes these components across the care trajectory and during stable or slowly declining, deteriorating, and rapidly declining health stages. The roles of shared decision-making, engagement of care partners, and interdisciplinary collaboration are also described. Practical strategies for integrating conservative management care delivery into practice are outlined.
"For many patients, particularly older patients who may be managing multiple chronic conditions, conservative management of kidney failure can be an approach that better reflects their needs and priorities," Crystal A. Gadegbeku, M.D., president-elect of the American Society of Nephrology, said in a statement. "Conservative management is a dynamic and highly individualized approach that is the right fit for certain patients, and therefore, the best choice over dialysis and transplantation. In that regard, we must work to build education, training, and reimbursement infrastructure to support this approach that focuses primarily on quality of life and symptom management."
Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.