Finding Barriers for the Implementation of Advanced Care Planning in Patients Receiving Dialysis
Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) receiving dialysis are aging and facing an increasing burden of comorbidities. In the United States, the number of patients receiving dialysis over the age of 75 increased from 5,295 per million in 2002 to 7,380 per million in 2022, now representing 22% of the total population living with end-stage kidney disease. Overall, 59% of new patients starting dialysis have diabetes and 25% have heart failure.1 Simultaneously, advances in nephrology, cardiology, and diabetes management have contributed to improved life expectancy among patients receiving dialysis.
