Racism and Kidney Health: Turning Equity Into a Reality

Navigating to Kidney Health Equity

“…In planning our expedition to kidney health equity, we have to take stock of what we know about research and practice that will guide how we embark on our journey. 1,2 We also have to mobilize and bolster the political will to not just begin the journey, but to sustain the commitment to reaching our destination. See Table 1 for an initial list of metrics that characterize our destination of kidney health equity.…”

Race, Social Class, and CKD: The Way Forward

“…3,4 A transformation of the health professions community to one of equity-mindedness would be an important step toward creating a nation truly grounded in equity and is a key way that health professionals can restore patient trust and improve patient outcomes. 12 Solutions will need to involve a diverse set of stakeholders, 13 who should work strategically to address financial and public policy issues so that appropriate clinical care is given to marginalized patient populations, especially in light of increasing inequities in wealth and many of the other social determinants of health. 14 But none of these structures and systems can be fundamentally changed with the same mindset and hearts that have created and perpetuated these systems.…”

Overcoming Vestiges of Structural Racism in Kidney Care and Renal Nutrition and Revisiting Cockcroft-Gault Creatinine Clearance and Its Weight Index

“…3,6 Regardless of any discussion about the biological plausibility of this assumption across populations, using race to identify an individual biologic determinant such as higher muscle mass is considered race essentialism and inappropriate in medicine. 7 Any approach that society uses to distinguish groups of persons based on a belief that different intrinsic biologic values exist or personal attributes based on race or ethnicity differentiate a group is racism. Furthermore, when such distinctions become considered acceptable and integrated into systems of practice, the practice contributes to a less visible form called structural racism.…”

“…Furthermore, when such distinctions become considered acceptable and integrated into systems of practice, the practice contributes to a less visible form called structural racism. 7 What should we do in the field of renal nutrition, where we invariably use serum creatinine as a surrogate of skeletal muscle mass or apply the resulting ''stages'' of CKD to advise on dietary intervention initiation and strategies? [8][9][10] The first and foremost principle in our field should be that race or any other social construct is unnecessary to assess kidney function and nutritional status.…”