Rights of chronic renal failure patients undergoing chronic dialysis therapy.

The Patient Advocacy Committee of the International Federation of Kidney Foundations (IFKF) has developed a document proposing a set of rights for individuals with end stage renal failure (ESRF). These rights have been approved by the Board of Directors of the IFKF. Twenty rights have been developed and are organized into the following categories: (i) need of treatment and choice of patients; (ii) treatment of ESRF by haemodialysis; (iii) treatment of ESRF by peritoneal dialysis; and (iv) renal transplantation. It is the hope of this Committee and the IFKF that this document will provide a stimulus to more scientific inquiry and discussion as to what rights do patients possess with regard to treatment of chronic kidney disease, regardless of where they live or what may be their economic, social, ethnic or political status.