Fistula First National Vascular Access Improvement Initiative
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A video training program for surgeons and interventionalists

Developed by William Jennings, MD and Lawrence Spergel, MD and hosted by the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center.


The following are some specific things facility staff can do to begin to increase AV fistula use in dialysis patients. These are actions that can be taken immediately. They will help to begin to increase AV fistula use, but will probably not be sufficient to achieve dramatic improvements. This will require the cooperation between and, perhaps, changes in practice of all providers in the system.

  1.  Know the rates of AV fistula use for the patients treated at your facility.
    • Review data provided by your Network.
    • Develop a log that contains the access type for each patient.
    • Develop a process to keep the log current.
  2. Review the recommended strategies from the Fistula First Change Package and choose those that make  the most sense for your practice. 

    Consider getting started with the following Changes: