Background: In children with chronic kidney disease (CKD), a nutrition support plan is important to ensure optimal macro- and micro-nutrient intake in order to avoid malnutrition, disease-related complications and growth rate reduction. Children with CKD and their families encounter many difficulties in adjusting to the renal diet. Even though adherence to the recommended dietary plan is important in CKD, it is rarely measured partly due to the lack of robust, unbiased assessment methods.
Methods: In this review of 22 papers, the techniques used to assess adherence in children with CKD are reviewed, alongside their advantages and disadvantages.
Findings: Although dietary surveys, biochemical index assessment and clinician ratings have been found not to be efficient when used as a single tool, they should be used in combination in order to give the opportunity to the health providers to perceive adherence from as many angles as possible.
Keywords: Adherence score; Chronic kidney disease; Dietary adherence; Paediatric.
© 2014 European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association/European Renal Care Association.