The Center to Advance Palliative Care and the National Kidney Foundation Make the Case for the Integration of Palliative Care into Kidney Disease Management

A new joint publication underscores how palliative care can improve outcomes for patients with advanced kidney disease.

NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite facing high rates of distressing symptoms—including fatigue, pruritus, and pain—people living with advanced kidney disease are far less likely than those with cancer to receive appropriate pain and symptom management. And fewer than 10% of older adults receiving dialysis report having had conversations about their goals of care.

These are two of the many important statistics highlighted in The Case for Palliative Care in Kidney Care, a new publication from the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which emphasizes the critical need to integrate palliative care services into the treatment of patients with advanced kidney disease. The publication calls on nephrology practices, dialysis centers, and health systems to strengthen their palliative care capabilities through clinician training, collaboration with specialty teams, and systemic changes that prioritize patient-centered outcomes—and it details resources to help meet this goal.

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness, with the goal of improving quality of life for patients and their families. For advanced kidney disease, palliative care also helps patients clarify their values and treatment preferences and plan for future care. Consider:

• A 12% reduction in emergency department visits, a 12% reduction in hospital admissions, and a 41% reduction in ICU admissions for patients with advanced kidney disease receiving specialty palliative care
  
  
• A significant improvement in symptoms for patients on dialysis who receive even one inpatient palliative care consultation
  
  
• Improvements in quality of life and a decrease in dialysis regret when prognosis and goals of care are discussed

In addition to the physical toll of kidney disease, patients and families face complex treatment decisions that often lead to emotional and existential distress. Nephrology teams can learn the clinical skills to:

• Clarify patient values, preferences, and goals, and support shared decision-making
• Address emotional and spiritual distress
• Counsel and coach family caregivers with anticipatory guidance

"This report is a clear call to action," said Brynn Bowman, MPA, CEO of the Center to Advance Palliative Care. "People with advanced kidney disease are navigating difficult decisions, and too many suffer from unrelenting symptoms without the support they need. By making palliative care a fundamental part of kidney care, we can provide compassionate, person-centered support to every patient in every setting."

"In short, this report emphasizes that palliative care in kidney disease focuses on improving quality of life by managing symptoms, supporting emotional and spiritual needs, and helping patients and families make informed decisions about treatment options, whether is chosen or not," said Joseph Vassalotti, MD, NKF Chief Medical Officer.

Read The Case for Palliative Care in Kidney Care at capc.org.

About the Center to Advance Palliative Care

The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC), established in 1999, is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability of quality, equitable health care for people living with a serious illness. As the nation's leading resource in its field, CAPC provides health care professionals and organizations with the training, tools, and technical assistance necessary to effectively redesign care systems that meet this need. CAPC is part of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

About the National Kidney Foundation

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. Visit kidney.org

SOURCE The Center to Advance Palliative Care