The second annual Stone Centre event was held at the Paetzold Health Education Centre  on June 23, 2015.

 

With over 100 participants ,   this event featured educational talks from the Stone Centre’s Doctors, as well as research engagement and participatory hands on learning. The audience was composed of past and current patients at the Stone Centre as well as family members, friends, and community guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000Educational talks on kidney stone epidemiology, diet and prevention, and research strives to improve prognosis kick started the event, followed by two patient perspectives and an interactive session. Guests were then given the opportunity to mingle with each other and with health care providers to ask any further questions and/or participate in current research studies.

As part of the interactive session the dietitians held hands on dietary advice session with visual presentation. There was also a ureteroscopy simulator that was run by the urology residents where guests had the opportunity for hands on feel of a kidney stone removal procedure. At the general stone disease information and research booths guests could learn more about clinical and laboratory research projects (including a video presentation of the research laboratory), have conversation with the research team, and pick up brochures and pamphlets for more information.

Judith Andrew and Lynn Tomita are registered dieticians at the Chronic Kidney Disease Clinic. At the event they presented a talk on diet and how it affects the chances of developing stones. They stressed the importance of  a healthy diet and went over thorough dietary recommendations on fluids, sodium, fruits & vegetables, protein oxalate and calcium.

Following the success of the 2015 Stone Centre event, the Stone Center team here at VGH has decided to start a focus group. The focus group will serve as a tool to further our efforts in bridging the gap between doctor and patient perspectives.   Making sure that patients’ needs and concerns are listened to and met is a top priority for the Stone Centre team. In bridging this gap we hope to raise our standards of care, focus our research efforts and decrease the amount of stress that patients have when dealing with their stone disease. We are currently in the recruitment process and are looking for potential candidates.

Overall this years’ event was larger and even more informative than last year! Thanks to generous help from the Stone Centre team and donors for refreshments and door prizes we were able to make this event happen. For a list of our donors please see a list below. If you missed out this year, please do not hesitate to contact us for more information and future patient engagement initiatives including our patient focus group and fundraiser, via phone: 604-875-4111 ext. 62421, or email: olga.arsovska@ubc.ca.

 

Charitable Donors: 

https://www.choicesmarkets.com/

https://www.safeway.ca/

http://www.nestersmarket.com/

kinsfarmmarket.com

www.saveonfoods.com/

http://livehappywater.ca/

http://vancouverwateradventures.com/

http://cafeami.ca/

https://www.davidstea.com/

http://www.broadwaywineshop.ca/

 

We need you: Great opportunity to help with our fight against kidney stones!

The Stone Centre Focus Group will further our efforts bridging the knowledge gap between physician care and patient priorities, while improving future research strives. We are currently in the recruitment process and are looking for volunteers.

The focus group will give the Stone Centre team input on kidney related issues from a patient perspective. Making sure that patients’ needs and concerns are listened to and met is a top priority for the Stone Centre team. One of our goals is to be supportive of including patients to guide their own care. We aim to raise our standards of care, focus our research efforts, and minimize the effects of this disease.

The focus group will meet once a month for a 1-1.5 hour long session, starting in early fall 2015. These sessions will involve respectful and inclusive group discussions centered on improving prognosis and prevention of kidney stone disease. We are looking for individuals who are willing to share their personal experiences with stone disease and work together with our team to find solutions. The group discussions are entirely confidential. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided during group meetings.

Ideal candidates are good communicators and listeners, as well as enthusiastic and optimistic about treating and minimizing their stone disease. We encourage everybody who is interested to apply as we are looking for a diverse group.  This will allow the focus group to cover the full spectrum of kidney related issues.

Those who are interested in joining the focus group or for more information can contact us at the office 604-875-4111 ext. 62421 or email: kristina.pavlovic@ubc.ca.

SImple yet effective ways that can reduce the risk of kidney stones