Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Expanding the global nephrology workforce

Many countries worldwide, particularly those with low or lower-middle incomes, do not have enough nephrologists to provide health services for patients with kidney disease. Increasing training opportunities, improving job satisfaction and using new technologies and advances in artificial intelligence could help to increase the nephrology workforce and improve patient outcomes.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: The global prevalence of nephrologists.

References

  1. Jager, K. J. et al. A single number for advocacy and communication-worldwide more than 850 million individuals have kidney diseases. Kidney Int. 96, 1048–1050 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Bello, A. K. et al. Status of care for end stage kidney disease in countries and regions worldwide: international cross sectional survey. BMJ 367, l5873 (2019).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Wu, J. et al. Nephrology workforce in China: describing current status and evaluating the optimal capacity based on real-world data. Hum. Resour. Health 21, 62 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Sharif, M. U., Elsayed, M. E. & Stack, A. G. The global nephrology workforce: emerging threats and potential solutions! Clin. Kidney J. 9, 11–22 (2016).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Burrowes, S. A. B. et al. COVID-19 pandemic impacts on mental health, burnout, and longevity in the workplace among healthcare workers: A mixed methods study. J. Interprof. Educ. Pract. 32, 100661 (2023).

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Okpechi, I. G. et al. Building optimal and sustainable kidney care in low resource settings: The role of healthcare systems. Nephrology (Carlton) 26, 948–960 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Lederer, E. & Lebowitz, J. Current state of the workforce in nephrology. Adv. Chronic Kidney Dis. 27, 281–290.e1 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Okpechi, I. G. et al. Impact of training nephrologists from developing nations and strategies for sustaining a training program in its fourth decade. Kidney Int. 99, 1073–1076 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Hazarika, I. Artificial intelligence: opportunities and implications for the health workforce. Int. Health 12, 241–245 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  10. Ramada, D. L. et al. Portable, wearable and implantable artificial kidney systems: needs, opportunities and challenges. Nat. Rev. Nephrol. 19, 481–490 (2023).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ikechi G. Okpechi.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Okpechi, I.G., Tungsanga, S., Ghimire, A. et al. Expanding the global nephrology workforce. Nat Rev Nephrol 20, 151–152 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-024-00809-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-024-00809-1

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing