Early nephrology care provided by the nephrologist alone is not sufficient to mitigate the social and psychological aspects of chronic kidney disease

OBJECTIVE: Patients with chronic kidney disease who receive early nephrology care have a better prognosis with maintenance dialysis. We aimed to determine whether early referral to a nephrologist can also improve the psychological burden of having chronic kidney disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty‐nine patients with chronic kidney disease that required hemodialysis were studied: 19 had a ≥ 6-month history of nephrology care (Group1), and 20 had never received any prior nephrology care (Group2). All patients participated in a semi‐structured interview that addressed their perceived knowledge and psychological aspects related to CKD and hemodialysis. Demographic and laboratory data as well as socioeconomic status were evaluated. RESULTS: In both groups, most of the patients were of low socioeconomic status. Group 1 had significantly better laboratory parameters (p<0.05). The patients' answers to the questions showed no differences between the groups: 63% of Group 1 and 55% of Group 2 reported that they had no prior knowledge about dialysis; 58% and 40%, respectively, reported that they “don't completely understand what the doctor says”; and 74% and 85%, respectively, believed that their “kidneys would work again”. CONCLUSION: Pre‐dialysis nephrology care improves the clinical conditions of the patients with chronic kidney disease but is insufficient for minimizing other aspects of having chronic kidney disease.