How can I effectively educate patients about lifestyle modifications to slow the progression of CKD?

Effective patient education on lifestyle modifications to slow chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression involves:

• Providing tailored, high-quality information and education about CKD severity, causes, complications, and treatment options to patients and their families, using everyday, jargon-free language to facilitate understanding and informed decision-making.
• Encouraging regular physical activity and achieving or maintaining a healthy body weight to reduce risk factors associated with CKD progression.
• Supporting smoking cessation as smoking is a modifiable risk factor that accelerates CKD progression.
• Offering dietary advice appropriate to CKD severity, focusing on managing potassium, phosphate, calorie, and salt intake, with specialist dietitian involvement for advanced CKD stages to prevent malnutrition and manage complications.
• Advising avoidance of nephrotoxic substances such as over-the-counter NSAIDs, herbal remedies, and certain supplements, especially during acute illness, to reduce risk of acute kidney injury and further kidney damage.
• Facilitating self-management by providing access to medical data and supporting shared decision-making, enabling patients to actively participate in their care and lifestyle choices.
• Addressing psychological aspects by offering access to support groups, counselling, or specialist nurses to help patients cope with CKD.

These strategies should be delivered by healthcare professionals with specialist knowledge of CKD and skills in patient education, ensuring ongoing monitoring and adjustment of advice based on disease progression and patient needs ¹,²,³.