Renal Consult is edited by Jane S. Davis, CRNP, DNP, a member of the Clinician Reviews editorial board, who is a nurse practitioner in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the communications chairperson for the National Kidney Foundation's Council of Advanced Practitioners (NKF-CAP); and Kim Zuber, PA-C, MSPS, DFAAPA, a semi-retired PA who works with the American Academy of Nephrology PAs and is a past chair of the NKF-CAP. This month's responses were authored by Nicole DeFeo McCormick, DNP, MBA, NP-C, CCTC, who is an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado, and LCDR Julie Taylor, PA-C, who is with the United States Public Health Service in Boston.
Q) What can I tell my kidney patients to increase acceptance of the influenza and pneumonia vaccines during cold and flu season?
The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older receive an annual flu vaccination, unless contraindicated.1 Additionally, administration of either the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) or the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) is recommended for all adults ages 65 and older and for younger adults (ages 19 to 64) with diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic heart disease, and/or solid organ transplant.1 Despite these recommendations, patients often decline vaccination. What they may not realize is that CKD increases their risk for infection.
