Palliative Care Acceptability for Older Adults with Advanced CKD: A Qualitative Study of Patients and Nephrologists

Rationale & Objective

Older adults in the United States often receive kidney therapies that do not align with their goals. Palliative care (PC) specialists are experts in assisting patients with the goals of care discussions and decision support, yet views and experiences of older patients who have received PC while contemplating kidney therapy decisions and their nephrologists remain unexplored. We evaluated the acceptability of CKD-EDU, a PC-based kidney therapy decision support intervention for adults ≥75 years of age.

Study Design

Qualitative study.

Setting & Participants

Two trained research coordinators interviewed patients and nephrologists participating in the CKD-EDU study.

Analytical Approach

Three coders analyzed the qualitative data using a thematic analysis approach to identify salient themes pertaining to intervention acceptability.

Results

Patients (n = 19; mean age: 80 years) viewed the PC intervention favorably, noting PC physicians' excellent communication skills, whole-person care, and decision-making support, including comprehension of prognostic information. Nephrologists (n = 24; mean age) welcomed PC assistance in decision making, support for conservative kidney management, and symptom management; a minority voiced concerns about third-party involvement in their practice.

Limitations

Single-center study.

Conclusions

Overall, patients and nephrologists generally found the PC intervention to be acceptable. Future testing of the current PC-based decision support intervention in a larger randomized controlled trial for older people navigating kidney therapy decisions is needed.

Plain-Language Summary

Literature on the acceptability of palliative care for kidney therapy decision making for older adults is scarce. This qualitative study establishes the acceptability of a palliative care (PC)-based kidney therapy decision support pilot intervention among older adults with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). Both patients and nephrologists found the intervention acceptable. Future testing of this PC-based intervention in an adequately powered randomized controlled trial for older individuals navigating kidney therapy decisions is needed.