Project Description
 
The medical burden caused by kidney disease has already had significant impact on SKN, and the current challenge is lacking of a complete chronic disease prevention and control system targeting chronic kidney disease. Therefore, the project is expected to strengthen their chronic disease prevention and control system especially for chronic kidney disease.

The major elements of the project will include:

1. assist in planning effective integrated care strategies and practices on prevention and control of chronic kidney disease
2. strengthen the function of nephrology in the medical care system
3. improve the community’s self-management ability for prevention and control of chronic kidney disease.

Project Period: 2017.04-2020.03
 
Project Objectives
 
The objectives of this project are:

1. Assist in planning effective integrated care strategies and practices on the prevention and control of chronic kidney disease.

• Health officials to visit Taiwan.
• Set up and strengthen statistics data and database related to chronic disease.
• Hold at least one international conference focusing on prevention and control of chronic kidney disease.

2. Strengthen the function of nephrology in the medical care system.

• Strengthen the hardware of facility related to nephrology: upgrade the function of hemodialysis equipment; for example, reverse osmosis water system for hemodialysis (in Nevis) and hemodialysis machine (in St. Kitts), and strengthen the basic examination capacity.
• Improve the professional capacities and manpower in the division of nephrology.

3. Improve community’s self-management ability for prevention and control of chronic kidney disease.

• Build capacity of health education personnel in the community.
• Hold health education and promotion activities in the community.

Current Progress (until the end of December 2018)
 
To the end of December 2018, the following activities have been carried out:

1. Assist in planning effective integrated care strategies and practices on the prevention and control of chronic kidney disease:

• Invited a senior health official from the Ministry of Health in Nevis Island to visit Taiwan to understand Taiwan’s policy and integrated care and health education programs related to the prevention and control of chronic kidney disease.
• Set up a database for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and a follow-up system to strengthen the management of CKD and its high risk groups, such as diabetes patients and hypertensive patients.
• Continues to collect the diabetes and hypertension patients’ information from the 17 primary health facilities, and convert the patient information to the digital data.

2. Strengthen the function of nephrology in the medical care system:

• Installed 3 hemodialysis machines in JNF hospital in San Kitts Island.
• Collaborated with Taipei Veterans General Hospital to provided training courses on CKD prevention and control to 8 health personnel from San Kitts and Nevis.
• Cooperated with seed instructors to conduct four local workshops on CKD patients care and treatment, and provided the training to 196 health personnel.
• 3 consultants from Taipei Veterans General Hospital have been dispatched and completed seed instructor supervision.

3. Improve community’s self-management ability for prevention and control of chronic kidney disease:

• Collaborated with Taipei Veterans General Hospital to provided training courses on health promotion and nutrition to 4 health personnel from San Kitts and Nevis.
• Cooperated with seed instructors to conduct two local health promotion training courses on the prevention and control of CKD, and provided the training to 39 health personnel.
• Integrated  the local resources and held 26 health promotion activities in primary health facilities, communities and schools, and provided health education on CKD prevention and control to more than 1,118 people.
• Held education events with the Kidney Disease Association in the World Kidney Day, including local radio broadcasts interview, urine screening and education, and women chronic kidney disease lectures.
• Provided multimedia equipment to Health Promotion Unit of Ministry of Health and Gender Affairs in Nevis Island Administration, and made a health education video on CKD prevention and control.
• Delivered more than 10,000 pieces of the health education pamphlets through local health facilities and health promotion.