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The EDTNA/ERCA survey of Post Insertion Catheter Care in Peritoneal Dialysis (PICC) was a project organised through the Collaborative Research Programme (CRP) of the EDTNA/ERCA. In this survey, data were collected from 54 participating centres in 20 countries. From this survey it became clear that there is no standardised approach to immediate post-catheter insertion treatment protocols. If we want to reduce technique failure of PD related to catheter failure, a first step will be to investigate the different policies used in Europe in order to evaluate the outcome results derived from different policies in post insertion catheter care.

summary The EDTNA/ERCA survey of the management of vascular access was the first project organised through the Collaborative Research Programme. This paper reports in the first part, on the current policies for management of vascular access which were studied using centre‐based data collected with a computer based questionnaire. The survey included 103 European centres treating a total of 13,800 chronic haemodialysis patients. 75% of patients in the participating centres were dialysed using a native arteriovenous fistula, 10% had a synthetic graft and 15% had a catheter. In most centres, well‐established hygienic precautions were used. When handling catheters, hygiene was even better. We observed that many aspects of access management varied significantly from region to region as well as between centres. The second part of this paper will relate the large differences observed in centre policies of vascular access management to individual patients' outcome parameters.

summary The EDTNA/ERCA survey of the provision of dietary advice in renal care was the second project organised through the Collaborative Research Programme (CRP). Data was collected from 51 participating centres in 19 countries. Advice on nutrition was provided by a multidisciplinary team, normally led by a specialist renal dietitian or a medical doctor, in 90% of participating centres. There was a general consensus on the type of advice that should be provided, in that most patients routinely received advice on intake of protein, energy and minerals in over 70% of centres. There was also good agreement on daily protein requirements expressed as g/kg, but considerable variation in the calculation of the body weight that determines the dietary intake for an individual patient. This could lead to significant differences in the advice offered and suggests that guidelines on assessment and use of ideal body weight should be included in the new EDTNA/ERCA Nutrition Guidelines.