How to explain chronic kidney disease
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Chronic kidney disease often has no symptoms until late. Early understanding helps patients slow it down.
Step by step
Explain what kidneys do
They clean waste from the blood, balance fluid and salts and help control blood pressure. [1]
Explain eGFR and urine protein
eGFR shows how well the kidneys filter. Urine albumin shows if they leak protein. Both set the stage. [2]
Name the main causes
Diabetes and high blood pressure cause most cases. Controlling them protects the kidneys. [3]
Talk about protective medicines
Drugs such as ACE inhibitors, ARBs and SGLT2 inhibitors can slow kidney damage in many patients. [4]
Warn about harmful medicines
Avoid NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. Ask before taking new medicines or supplements, and tell every clinician about the kidneys. [4]
Plan the checks
Regular blood and urine tests track the trend over time. [2]
Use teach-back
Ask the patient which pain medicines they should avoid. [1]
Common errors
- Not warning about NSAIDs.
- Explaining stages without saying what the patient can do.
- Skipping the link to diabetes and blood pressure.
CKD stages by eGFR (KDIGO) [2]
| Stage | eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | 90 or more | Normal filtering, with other signs of kidney damage |
| G2 | 60 to 89 | Mildly reduced |
| G3a | 45 to 59 | Mildly to moderately reduced |
| G3b | 30 to 44 | Moderately to severely reduced |
| G4 | 15 to 29 | Severely reduced |
| G5 | below 15 | Kidney failure |
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)
- NCCPA PANCE Content Blueprint
- AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
- Open RN, Nursing Pharmacology 2e (CC BY 4.0)
Facts and steps follow AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs); AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.