EMiNEM: Education in Mineral Metabolism

Welcome to the Nephrology Education in Mineral Metabolism Resource Center

The Education in MINEral Metabolism (EMINEM) project stemmed from a study designed to look at mineral metabolism control in hemodialysis patients across Canada. This project allowed a group of interested Nephrologists to see how well Canadian dialysis centres were reaching the K/DOQI and CSN mineral metabolism targets. As only 17.5 % of patients achieved all the K/DOQI targets and an even smaller proportion, 6.3%, achieved all CSN targets (Hemodialysis International 2010;14:200-210), we decided to develop this EMINEM educational tool.

Using the suggested CSN targets for parathyroid hormone and phosphate as a starting point, we devised a Grid format for classifying individual patients according to their unique mineral metabolism profile. This grid is shown below. The purpose of the Grid was to allow us to present suggested management strategies to move individual patients towards the ideal sector of the Grid.

The EMINEM Resource Centre is more than just the Grid. For example, in the ARTICLES section, our group will present current articles which may impact on our understanding, or on the therapy of Mineral Metabolism derangements. Articles will be critiqued in a scholarly fashion, and comments and discussion around the critiques are welcomed and encouraged. We also hope that you will suggest articles to be reviewed, and present your own reviews for consideration for display on the site. We would like to encourage DISCUSSION around any aspect of Mineral Metabolism, be it criticisms or comments on the Grid, discussion around the articles reviewed, or any topic of relevance which you would like to see discussed.