The main aim of the GoodRENal project is to promote healthy lifestyle habits in people with chronic kidney disease. This starts with education of patients, their carers and healthcare professionals active at dialysis units. Last months, educational sessions for healthcare professionals have taken place in four countries: AHEPA Hospital (Thessaloniki, Greece), Hospital Manises (Valencia, Greece), Skåne University Hospital (Lund, Sweden) and University Hospitals Leuven (Leuven, Belgium – see pictures). Discussed topics were disease-specific aspects of physical activity, nutrition and psychological well-being in hemodialysis patients. Education took place in microsessions (peer-to-peer training) based on recommendations developed by a group of international experts consisting of nephrologists, physiotherapists, psychologists and a dietitian. For every topic, the same questions were talked through: Why? Who? When and where? What and how? And to conclude, red flags were explained. Based on the feedback received (using the User Satisfaction Evaluation Questionnaire), the satisfaction of the participants in the peer-to-peer training was high about this informative moment and the educational material. That’s good news for our patients, as they are the ones who will feel a change of attitude at the dialysis units!

GoodRENal is funded by the Erasmus+ program and produces tools for a holistic treatment of subjects undertaking hemodialysis. It promotes a healthy lifestyle among these patients, including nutrition, exercise/physical activity, psychological well-being, and improved cognitive state. All information can be found at the project website (www.goodrenal.eu).