Ms Jie Zeng1, Dr Rao Nitesh, Dr Richard Le Leu, Ms Bek Lamb
1Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth Vale, Australia, 2Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth Vale, Australia, 3Central Northern Adelaide Renal and Transplant Service, Adelaide, Australia, 4Northern Adelaide Local Health Network – Lyell McEwin Hospital, Elizabeth Vale, Australia
Biography:
Jie Zeng is a renal nurse practitioner candidate currently undertaking Master of Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) program. Jie has over 15 years of experience in nephrology nursing, her clinical focus includes conservative kidney management and the care of high-risk haemodialysis patients, aiming to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.
Jie is committed to advancing renal nursing practice through research, innovation, and leadership in patient-centred care. Her professional interests include CKD management, patient education, strategies to enhance continuity of care, and quality improvement projects aiming at optimising conservative kidney management for patients who choose non-dialysis pathway.
Abstract:
The Nurse Practitioner Candidate (NPC) role within the renal service at Lyell McEwin Hospital was initially established to support medical and nursing teams, and progressively expanded to incorporate comprehensive health assessment, diagnostic reasoning, medication optimisation, and proactive symptom management. It particularly emphasised on the delivery of patient-centred care for individuals opting for CKM, with the focus on symptom control, shared decision-making, advance care planning, and collaboration with palliative and primary care services. For haemodialysis patients, the role has prioritised early identification of clinical deterioration, optimisation of dialysis care, and fluid management to prevent avoidable hospital presentations.
The NPC role has evolved over the past two years to address the increasing complexity of care required by people living with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) at the Northern suburb, South Australia. This role has now evolved to be focused on improving access to specialised renal care, supporting people choosing conservative kidney management (CKM), and reducing unplanned hospital admissions among CKM and haemodialysis patients at high risk of clinical deterioration.
A reflective practice approach informed ongoing role development, supported by interprofessional collaboration with nephrologists, renal pharmacists, allied health professionals, and community services. This evolving NPC role has demonstrated growing capacity to deliver safe, effective, and integrated renal care, with a strong focus on improving patient outcomes, quality of life, and reducing health system burden through proactive and preventative models of care. Further research is warranted to formally evaluate patient outcomes, health service utilisation, and cost-effectiveness associated with renal nurse practitioner-led models of care.