High calcium is common enough in people with kidney disease and can be caused by a variety of different things, many that are within the realm of control of the patient. 

This handout will act as a tool to:

• Help patients see why calcium is important
• Empower the patient to take action if calcium gets too high 
• Provides a clear, first line strategy for the clinician to address high calcium

As clinicians, we know there are non-diet, supplement, or medication causes for high calcium that are important to look into.  However, our efforts can be negated if we haven’t fully educated the patient.  The patient may unknowingly be taking a vitamin D supplement in addition to a renal vitamin or not paid attention that they switched to a calcium fortified cereal or bread. 

There are so many things to balance in renal nutrition, that sometimes it is easier to have a checklist of sorts to ensure that all the bases have been covered before “looking for unicorns” which can cause us to overlook simple solutions.  This tool provides practical education in a low literacy format that empowers patients and clinicians in resolving hypercalemia.

No need to recreate the wheel. Save time by downloading this handout from the Renal Education Library or by going to RD2RD.com