Have you had a chance to watch our new two-minute video that serves as a guide for introducing kidney patients to My Symptom Checklist? Did you know that the checklist is now also available as a fillable PDF? And that both resources are available in English, Chinese and Punjabi? Plus, the related clinician information sheet has been updated.
The
My Symptom Checklist video guide was created to enhance awareness and understanding of how routine symptom assessment and management using the checklist supports person-centred care across all treatment modalities.
If you’re not familiar with
My Symptom Checklist, it’s a tool for kidney patients and their care teams, which includes 12 symptoms for consideration that span both physical and mental health. The checklist is meant to be used regularly to monitor and follow up on symptoms that affect quality of life over time.
BC Renal patient partner, Jana Sadler, explains how the checklist can help patients communicate proactively about what’s important to them: “As a long-term kidney patient, I've found that it is important to advocate for myself and communicate symptoms I may be having to my medical team.
My Symptom Checklist is an excellent tool for helping patients advocate for their care.”
Paul Watson, another BC Renal patient partner, explains how the checklist can be particularly helpful to patients who have a number of symptoms due to the complexity of their condition: “I have polycystic kidney disease, which comes with a long list of other serious health problems that can crop up. They can affect not just kidneys, but the heart, blood vessels and other organs. So I keep a steady watch on potential symptoms, hoping to catch anything serious between visits with medical professionals.
My Symptom Checklist allows me to do that with a trusted source, instead of randomly searching down dark alleys on the web.”
The new fillable PDF version of the checklist and the video guide were developed in 2021 thanks to input from patient partners and the BC Renal Palliative Care Committee.
“Our patient partners were instrumental in providing meaningful input that guided significant improvements to
My Symptom Checklist,” says committee chair, Dr. Gaylene Hargrove. “This tool can be used by kidney clinicians across all treatment options to assess and manage pain and symptoms experienced by patients living with chronic kidney disease. Enhancing symptom treatment will help optimize quality of life for our patients, which is a primary objective of our committee.”
Links to the checklist and video guide: To access the various language versions of the checklist and video guide, please see these BC Renal web pages:
To use the fillable form/checklist, patients will need to open the form on a computer or mobile device with
Adobe Acrobat Reader installed, fill it out, save it on the device and email the file back to their care providers.
Learn more about
My Symptom Checklist from our 2021 article:
My Symptom Checklist: Improving patient care with patient voices
