Background: Healthcare providers who care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) must be able to provide effective counseling about a kidney friendly diet. Nutrition is under-emphasized in medical curricula, and the kidney diet is one of the most challenging diets. We hypothesized that participation in an experiential educational program in kidney diet will result in improved knowledge of the underlying principles behind it and provide concrete examples of how to explain this diet to patients. Methods: The first part of this study was a knowledge assessment administered to all United States nephrology fellows during the 2020 National Board of Medical Examiners Nephrology In-Training Exam. We later opened the assessment to a broader, global audience via social media. Respondents included trainees, practicing nephrologists, dieticians, and other health professionals. Participants self-identified willingness to participate in the second part of the study, the Kidney Diet Challenge (KDC). The 5-day challenge included daily webinars by experts in nutrition. Daily surveys captured self-reported adherence to the diet. Social media was used to engage with participants. All participants received a follow-up knowledge assessment. Results: Among the nephrology fellows (n=317), the median pre-test score was 2 out of 5 (40%) questions correct, and results did not differ by year of training (p=0.310). Of the participants (n=70) who completed the 5-day challenge and responded to the post-challenge survey, the post-test score was significantly higher (p<0.01) and 'ability to advise patients about kidney diet' improved (p<0.01). Analyzing stats from our official hashtag for this study (#kidneydietchallenge) showed that we achieved 406,241 reaches, 1,004,799 impressions with a total of 974 posts using this hashtag. Conclusions: The KDC is an immersive, experiential educational tool that enabled a global population to learn how to better counsel their patients about adherence to a complex kidney diet.
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