Making Dialysis Safer for Patients Coalition

Overview

The Making Dialysis Safer for Patients Coalition is a partnership of organizations and people that launched in 2016. They have joined forces to promote the use of CDC's Core Interventions and resources to prevent dialysis bloodstream infections.

The Coalition includes 20 dialysis provider organizations, 25 professional organizations, 34 health departments, 4 dialysis patient organizations, and 9 End Stage Renal Disease Networks.

Goals

• Implement and adopt Core Interventions through promotion and use of audit tools, checklists, and other resources.
• Spread the word about the Core Interventions for dialysis bloodstream infection prevention through education.
• Share skills and findings with other Coalition participants.

Activities and ideas

The Coalition offers Partners opportunities to engage. Examples include:

Spread the word

• Write a letter from your organization about partnering with the Coalition. Share with your organization's members.
• Publish reports, blogs, and articles on infection prevention topics.
• Place Coalition resources on your website.

Educate

• Attend Coalition calls and webinars to obtain the newest infection prevention information from CDC and dialysis experts.
• Host a training session or webinar for members.
• Use CDC's continuing education (CE) course/training for your organization's members.
• Provide Coalition tools to patients and encourage them to speak up about infection prevention.
• Include Coalition messaging and resources in employee education packets.
• Distribute Coalition messages and resources at meetings and exhibits.

Implement recommendations

• Implement Core Interventions and CDC guidelines within your organizations.
• Use Coalition resources to improve practices.
• Use Coalition patient education resources to encourage them to engage.

Share skills and findings

• Invite organizations to engage with the Coalition.
• Deliver presentations to people who listen.
• Work together on prevention studies and create new Coalition resources.
• Share bloodstream infection prevention events among your members.

Get involved

Partners

• Commit to tell others about the Core Interventions.
• Recommend infection prevention and control practices within their organization.
• Can include:
  • Professional organizations.
  • Dialysis organizations.
  • Patient groups.
  • State and local health departments.
  • Certification organizations.
• New Partners in 2024 include:
  • Louisiana Department of Public Health

Members

• Help spread the word about the success of the Core Interventions.
• Motivate staff to put infection prevention first in their organizations.
• Can include:
  • Staff from clinics.
  • Nephrologists and nephrology nurses.
  • Dialysis technicians.
  • Leaders in infection prevention and/or patient safety.
  • Dialysis instructors.
  • Patients, caregivers, and others.

Benefits to joining

• Access to infection prevention resources and CDC expertise.
• Networking with other Coalition members.
• Credit as a partner of CDC in this effort.
• And more.

To join the Coalition as a Partner, please contact DialysisCoalition@cdc.gov to request a welcome packet.

To join as a Member, please complete the form below.

Resources

The Coalition has resources to prevent infections in dialysis patients and increase practices to cut infection rates.

To order free copies of these tools, please visit CDC-INFO on Demand.

The Coalition also has webinars posted as part of the "Tune in to Safe Healthcare" webinar series.