Each staff member in the haemodialysis unit at Mildura Base Hospital is allocated a number of patients to be their primary nurse.
The dialysis staff have created a Primary nurse summary which is designed to capture relevant information regarding their renal disease and other medical conditions.

Purposes of the Primary Care Nurse summary;

o To establish clear communication between the patient, physician and other members of the health care team
o Give other nursing staff a care plan to follow when the primary nurse is absent
o As a systemic patient assessment tool it identifies problems, then allows evaluation of any interventions implemented in the care plan
o Can be a quality indicator for dialysis adequacy, BP control, bone disease, vascular access function, anaemia and nutrition.
o Staff and patients work together to achieve optimal outcomes regarding their care and health options
o Provides a thorough summary for the nephrologist when the patient is to be reviewed on a monthly basis

The effectiveness of the Primary Care Nurse Summary will be evaluated by monitoring blood results and dialysis adequacy. It is expected that these results will be maintained within levels recommenced by the CARI guidelines and the consulting nephrologist at MBH, therefore improving the patients overall well being.