Paul Bennett

• RN MHSM PhD
• Professor (Full) at Griffith University

This umbrella review aimed to synthesise the existing evidence on sleep disturbances and sleep disorders in the adult chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. A systematic search across five electronic databases. Reviews were grouped according to aspects of sleep and the focus of the review. The JBI critical appraisal checklist was used for quality...

Adults with kidney failure receiving dialysis frequently report high symptom burden that can limit life participation and decrease the quality of life. Fatigue, itch, pain, anxiety, depressive symptoms, sleep problems, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, breathlessness, and decreased cognition can negatively impact important daily activities. Nurses a...

Exercise and physical activity have been shown to improve health outcomes among people receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD), however, little is known about PD clinicians’ perceptions and practices regarding exercise counselling. To inform exercise program design and implementation, we distributed a cross-sectional online questionnaire to PD clinician...

Background: muscle mass (MM) plays an important role in the physical function of hemodialysis patients; however, muscle mass measurement can be unreliable and expensive. In contrast, the measurement of physical function (PF) is simple and inexpensive and may serve as an alternative. The aim of this study was to correlate the measurement of MM by c...

Background Staff-assisted peritoneal dialysis (PD) can help overcome barriers to self-care but is not yet available in the United States (US). We developed and implemented a staff-assisted PD program that fits within current regulatory and cost restraints in the US healthcare environment. Methods Patient care technicians (PCTs) were trained on PD...

Background Utilising point‐of‐care ultrasound for assessment and cannulation of vascular access in people receiving haemodialysis has shown positive clinical results. Nonetheless, there is variation in how renal health care professionals worldwide embrace this method, and there's a lack of research on the factors that promote or hinder its adoption...

Abstract Background and Objective Starting dialysis is a life-changing transition for people living with kidney disease. People feel overwhelmed with diet changes, medications and surgical interventions, and often experience high levels of anxiety, depression and hospital admissions. The objective of this study was to explore and describe the exper...

Background Low physical activity and functional impairment are prevalent and unaddressed in people receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). Exercise has been shown to improve physical function and mental health for people with kidney disease. Methods Cross-sectional descriptive survey aimed at identifying the exercise and physical activity perceptions...

Background Frequent blood glucose tests are performed for people with diabetes receiving haemodialysis. Objectives To determine the rate of out‐of‐range post‐haemodialysis blood glucose levels that are clinically acted upon, the intervention and outcome of each intervention, and the associations between post‐haemodialysis blood glucose levels and...

Background Patient activation refers to the knowledge, confidence and skills required for the management of chronic disease and is antecedent to self-management. Greater self-management in chronic kidney disease (CKD) results in improved patient experience and patient outcomes. Aim To examine patient activation levels in people with CKD stage 5 pr...

Introduction People receiving peritoneal dialysis experience physical function decline, impairing their ability to complete everyday activities, leading to poorer quality of life. Physical factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscle strength, physical activity, and sedentary behavior are associated with physical function. However, little i...

Introduction Despite the growing number of patients requiring kidney replacement therapy (KRT), peritoneal dialysis (PD) is underutilized globally. A contributory factor may be clinician myths about its use. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions about PD initiation by clinicians according to various physical, social, and clinical charact...

Background Patients with kidney failure on hemodialysis (HD) experience considerable symptom burden and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There is limited use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) in facility HD units to direct immediate care, with response rates in other studies between 36 to 70%. The aim of this pilot study was...

Purpose of review Kidney disease is associated with major health and economic burdens worldwide, disproportionately carried by people in low and middle socio-demographic index quintile countries and in underprivileged communities. Social determinants such as education, income and living and working conditions strongly influence kidney health outcom...

Aim: To explore nurses' perceptions of using point-of-care ultrasound for assessment and guided cannulation in the haemodialysis setting. Background: Cannulation of arteriovenous fistulae is necessary to perform haemodialysis. Damage to the arteriovenous fistula is a frequent complication, resulting in poor patient outcomes and increased healthc...

Background Standard cannulation practice for hemodialysis consists of inserting needles “blindly” through skin into an arteriovenous fistula (AVF), which is more likely to cause damage. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) guided cannulation has potential for less damage; however, efficacy of this technique has not been explored. Our purpose was to tes...

Despite over 30 years of evidence for improvements in physical function, physical fitness, and health-related quality of life with exercise training in individuals with chronic kidney disease, access to dedicated exercise training programs remains outside the realm of standard of care for most kidney care programs. In this review, we explore possib...

Individuals with kidney failure undergoing maintenance dialysis frequently report a high symptom burden that can interfere with functioning and diminish life satisfaction. Until recently, the focus of nephrology care for dialysis patients has primarily related to numerical targets for laboratory measures and outcomes such as cardiovascular disease...

Introduction: Low activity levels and poor physical function are associated with technique failure and mortality in people receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). Adequate levels of physical function are required to maintain independence for people choosing this predominantly home-based therapy. The objective of this study was to identify the exercise...

We conducted the Multidisciplinary Assessment at Dialysis Entry (MADE) study to evaluate the temporal evolution of symptom burden in the 6 months after dialysis commencement, exploring physical and psychosocial domains using validated PROMs. We also investigated symptom prevalence and severity, relationships between physical and psychological sympt...

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a complex health condition that profoundly impacts an individual's general health and well-being throughout their entire lifetime. People with CKD require the knowledge, confidence, and skills to actively self-manage their health. This is referred to as patient activation. The efficacy of interventions t...

Poor sleep among nurses (and other healthcare workers) is a growing area of concern that may have far-reaching consequences not just for themselves, but for their patients and the workforce. Fortunately, wellness programs are starting to integrate and highlight the importance of sleep for nurses, but this area of research still has a long way to go...

Background: Implementation of exercise training in people with kidney failure may be affected by clinicians' attitudes. Objectives: To investigate Danish nephrology nurses' and medical doctors' attitudes towards: exercise for people undergoing dialysis; use of physical activity interventions in chronic kidney disease; and to compare Danish and p...

Background: Oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) with or without exercise (EX) could improve muscle mass (MM) in chronic kidney disease. Methods: Patients were randomized into two groups: (1) ONS and (2) ONS + EX. Thigh muscle area (cm2) and intramuscular lipid content via attenuation were evaluated at baseline and 6 months with computed tomog...

Patient activation is the product of knowledge, skills, and confidence that enables a person to manage their own healthcare. It is associated with healthy behaviors and improved patient outcomes. We surveyed prevalent hemodialysis (HD) patients at 10 centers using the Patient Activation Measure 13-item instrument (PAM-13). Activation was reported a...

Background Kidney failure prevalence is increasing worldwide. Haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplantation are undertaken to extend life with kidney failure. People receiving haemodialysis commonly experience fatigue, pain, nausea, cramping, itching, sleeping difficulties, anxiety and depression. This symptom burden contributes to p...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Sarcopenia is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in older adults,[1], but this has yet to be confirmed in chronic kidney disease (CKD).[2] We conducted a systematic review to investigate the association between sarcopenia and its traits with mortality, hospitalization and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) progression in CKD patien...

OBJECTIVES People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at increased risk for falls and fall-related injuries. Depressive disorders (DEP) are common in individuals with CKD and may increase the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. However, not much is known about the relationship between DEP and falls in people with CKD. The purpose of this stu...

People receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) may benefit from participation in exercise or physical activity. However, exercise therapy for people receiving PD is not typically included in routine care, in part, due to ongoing uncertainties about risk. The aim of this review was to systematically collate and explore data on adverse events experienced...

Introduction Remaining physically active is important to patients undertaking dialysis, however, clinical recommendations regarding exercise type, timing, intensity, and safety precautions vary. The purpose of this scoping review was to analyse and summarise recommendations for physical activity and exercise for people undertaking dialysis and iden...

Introduction Increased patient activation is associated with improved health outcomes; however, little is known about patient activation in people with end‐stage kidney disease at the start of their dialysis journey. This study aimed to measure activation status changes over the first 4 months of dialysis. Methods Prospective, longitudinal, and ob...

Background & Aims Sarcopenia is a risk factor for adverse outcomes in older adults, but this has yet to be confirmed in chronic kidney disease (CKD). We conducted a systematic review to investigate the association between sarcopenia and its traits with mortality, hospitalization, and end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) progression in CKD patients. Met...

The importance of patient activation (i.e., the knowledge, skills, and confidence one has in managing one’s own healthcare) in people with long-term conditions, including kidney disease, is growing. Enabling and empowering patients to take a more active role in their health and healthcare is the focus of person-centred care. Patient activation is r...

The benefits of exercise interventions in individuals with chronic kidney disease have been widely reviewed; however, exercise has not yet been incorporated into routine clinical practice. In athletic populations, the goals of exercise training are to improve a specific aspect of physical performance such as strength or endurance, to ultimately opt...

Background: Haemodialysis plastic cannulae have been limited to incident arterio-venous fistulae cannulation or in those who require a more flexible in situ access device. The feasibility of plastic cannulae in prevalent patients on haemodialysis has not been reported. Objective: To determine the feasibility of plastic cannulae in prevalent haem...

Rationale & Objective Patients receiving hemodialysis experience high symptom burden and low quality of life (QOL). Electronic patient-reported outcome measures (e-PROMs) monitoring with feedback may be an acceptable intervention to improve health-related QOL for patients receiving hemodialysis. This study explored patient and clinician perspective...

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can infect the kidney and the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) constitutes a higher risk of negative prognosis. SARS-CoV-2 main sequelae in CKD patients are an incomplete recovery of kidney function, muscle weakness and atrophy, breathiness, tiredness, pulmonary fibrosi...

Life participation requiring physical activity and physical function is a key patient-reported outcome for people receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD). Clinician guidance is required from multidisciplinary sources regarding exercise and activity advice to address the specific needs of this group. From August 2020 through to June 2021, the Global Rena...

Background Nurse and Midwifery Unit Managers (NMUMs) play pivotal roles in quality patient care, nurse and midwife satisfaction and retention. NMUMs are expected to be both leaders and managers simultaneously, which may create role tension. This study aimed to explore the understanding and experience of NMUMs regarding their role; to explore what b...

Objective: This review aims to examine the effect of patient activation interventions compared with usual care on health-related behavioral outcomes in adults with chronic kidney disease stages 3-5. Introduction: Chronic kidney disease is a global health problem associated with a high mortality, reduction of health-related quality of life, and h...

Objective Impairment in physical function and physical performance leads to decreased independence and health-related quality of life in people living with chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease. Physical activity and exercise in kidney care are not priorities in policy development. We aimed to identify global policy-related enablers,...

Patient activation, the measure of patients’ readiness and willingness to manage their own health care, is low among people on in-center hemodialysis (HD), exacerbated by how passively patients receive care. In our pursuit of person-centered care and value-based medicine, enabling patients to take a more active role in their care can lead to health...

Background Little is known about the prevalence and best management of needle fear in adults with chronic disease, who may experience frequent and long-term exposure to needles for lifesaving therapies such as renal dialysis and cancer treatment. Identifying interventions that assist in management of needle fear and associated distress is essential...

A large proportion of patients undergoing incident dialysis start in-center hemodialysis with suboptimal preparation and predialysis education. Transitional care units deliver a structured program by dedicated staff, with less patient-to-staff ratios than in regular in-center dialysis care, with the goals of supporting the emotional and physical we...

Introduction: Fatigue is a frequent and debilitating symptom for people with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) receiving dialysis. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) allows real-time data capture of day-to-day and diurnal variations. EMA has been used to study haemodialysis-related fatigue but not in people receiving peritoneal dialysis who are u...

Home dialysis therapies are flexible kidney replacement strategies with documented clinical benefits. While the incidence of end‐stage kidney disease continues to increase globally, the use of home dialysis remains low in most developed countries. Multiple barriers to providing home dialysis have been noted in the published literature. Amongst know...

Objective(s) Patients with end-stage kidney disease requiring hemodialysis suffer frailty and poor physical function. Exercise can improve physical function; however, barriers exist to intradialytic exercise programs. The objective of this study was to explore patients’ reasons for not exercising in an extant intradialytic exercise program. Design...

Background and objectives Mobile health is the health care use of mobile devices, such as smartphones. Mobile health readiness is a prerequisite to successful implementation of mobile health programs. The aim of this study was to examine the status and correlates of mobile health readiness among individuals on dialysis. Design, setting, participan...

Introduction Defining the role of exercise in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a top research priority for people with CKD. We aimed to achieve consensus on specific research priorities in exercise and CKD among an international panel of stakeholders. Methods Using the Delphi method, patients/caregivers, researchers, clinicians, and policy makers s...

Introduction People receiving haemodialysis experience a high symptom burden and impaired quality of life. The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) is increasing in nephrology care, however their acceptability, utility and impacts are not well understood. Methods and analysis We describe a protocol for a qualitative study to evaluate t...

Introduction People with end‐stage renal disease undergoing hemodialysis are at increased risk for stress, anxiety, and depression. The study objective was to measure the effect of intradialytic group laughter therapy on depressive symptoms in people on hemodialysis (HD). Methods Pragmatic randomized controlled trial conducted with prevalent HD pa...

Point‐of‐care ultrasound (POCUS) for access assessment and guided cannulation has become more common in hemodialysis units. The aims of this scoping review were to determine: circumstances in which renal nurses and technicians use POCUS; the barriers and facilitators; and evidence of the effects of POCUS in guiding assessment and cannulation. A sea...

Purpose of review: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by poor levels of physical activity which contribute to increased morbidity across the disease trajectory. The short nature, small samples, and poor methodology across most studies have failed to translate the role of exercise in CKD into its adoption as a frontline adjunct therapeut...

Peritoneal dialysis transfer sets (extension lines) are replaced every six to nine months to minimize peritoneal dialysis catheter complications. The aim of this study was to compare a revised non-bag transfer set exchange procedure with the standard bag exchange procedure on nursing time, costs, and safety. Thirty-three people were randomized to t...

Context: Abdominal musculature underpins core stability, which can allow for optimal performance in many activities of daily living (eg, walking and rising from a chair). Therefore, assessment of the abdominal muscles poses as an important consideration for clinicians in order to identify people at risk of injury or functional decline. Objective:...

Background and Aims People on haemodialysis (HD) often experience overwhelming and debilitating symptoms of fatigue, pain, nausea, itching, sleeping problems and depression that contribute to poor quality of life. Trials in oncology have shown that active symptom monitoring can improve quality of life and survival, but it remains unknown if this in...

Objective Shared decision-making (SDM) may improve outcomes for children with medical complexity (CMC). CMC have lower rates of SDM than other children, but little is known about how to improve SDM for CMC. The objective of this study is to describe parent perspectives of SDM for CMC and identify opportunities to improve elements of SDM specific to...

Background People with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) are generally physically inactive and frail. Exercise studies in PD are scarce and currently there are no PD exercise programs in the United States (US). The primary objective of this study was to test the feasibility of a combined resistance and cardiovascular...

End stage kidney disease is associated with reduced exercise capacity, muscle atrophy and impaired muscle function. While these may be improved with exercise, single modalities of exercise do not traditionally elicit improvements across all required physiological domains. Blood flow restricted exercise may improve all of these physiological domains...

Background: Patients receiving dialysis have reduced physical function, which is associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes and decreased quality of life. The authors aimed to identify and explore modifiable physical factors associated with physical function for patients receiving dialysis. Methods: Searches were performed in MEDLINE, Embase,...

Background: Individuals receiving peritoneal dialysis (PD) report low levels of physical activity, which increases their risk of morbidity and mortality. Little is known about their perceptions towards barriers and benefits of exercise or physical activity. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of exercise among people receiv...

Globally, home dialysis prevalence has been declining relative to the increase in end stage renal disease and renal replacement therapy. The goal of this study was to identify international perceptions and practices. A web-based questionnaire was disseminated to nephrology nurses in 30 home dialysis-prevalent nations. Global telehealth use was low...

DIALYSIS PATIENT NEEDLE FEAR: A MULTICENTER POINT PREVALENCE SURVEY Bennett PhD, P1, Shanahan, L*2, Le Leu, R2, Whittington, T2, Turner, D2, Biddle, A2, McDonald, S2, Jesudason, S2 1Deakin University, Faculty of Health, Geelong, Australia, 2Royal Adelaide Hospital, Central & Northern Adelaide Renal & Transplantation Service, Adelaide, Australia Int...