KitNewCare: An Introduction to Sustainable Kidney Care

Who is this course for?

This free online course aims to help reduce the environmental impact of kidney care by offering practical strategies for more sustainable clinical practice. Now offered in five languages—English, Polish, Spanish, Italian, and Dutch—it is accessible to healthcare professionals involved in kidney care, as well as anyone seeking a foundational understanding of sustainable healthcare and nephrology.

This course is fully founded and part of KitNewCare, a pioneering EU co-funded project to make kidney healthcare more environmentally sustainable.

Course outline 

Within this decade, the world — including healthcare — must shift towards sustainability. The climate crisis poses a serious threat to human health, while current healthcare models contribute to climate change and ecological harm.

This course explores the two-way relationship between health and the environment, with a focus on kidney care. We’ll cover how to reduce both the financial and environmental impact of healthcare services while maintaining high standards of patient care and improving social value.

You’ll learn what nephrology professionals can do to lead sustainable transformation, through practical examples and case studies, from prevention strategies to reducing the environmental footprint of dialysis.

I am a healthcare professional working in kidney care, why should I book this course?

Whether you’re a nephrologist, nurse, dialysis technician, healthcare manager, or involved in kidney care in any capacity, this course is designed with your role in mind.

Healthcare professionals today face the dual challenge of delivering excellent patient care while addressing the environmental impact of their services. This course offers practical knowledge and tools to help you:

• Understand the link between kidney care and environmental sustainability.
• Learn concrete actions you can take to reduce waste, energy use, and resource consumption in your daily work.
• Stay ahead of evolving healthcare standards and patient expectations around sustainability.
• Strengthen your leadership skills by becoming a driver of positive change within your organisation and professional community.

By joining, you’ll not only expand your professional expertise but also contribute to a healthier planet, helping ensure high-quality kidney care today and for future generations.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of the course, you will be able to:

• Describe the risks the global environmental crisis presents to human health and healthcare systems.
• Describe the contribution of the health sector, particularly kidney care, to the global environmental crisis. 
• Understand the basic principles of carbon literacy.
• Understand how sustainability can help to address existing challenges in the healthcare system.
• Apply the principles of sustainability to kidney care.
• Plan a project to improve the sustainability of healthcare in your workplace. 

At the end of the course, you are invited to draft a plan for a sustainability project you can implement at your organisation.

Course structure 

This online course is free to access and provides over 6 hours of interactive learning, presented in bitesize chunks covering background, theory, and real-world case studies.

You can access the course via the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare learning platform. You’ll need to register your details and sign in using the links below. There’s also a short video guide to help you navigate the platform.

Once you’ve registered, you can access the course directly in your selected language.

Once completed, we would love for you to join our dedicated network, where you can connect with like-minded individuals, share best practice, and take part in our monthly networking events featuring keynote speakers.

How much does this course cost?

This course is entirely free to access. It is funded and supported by the KitNewCare project, part of the European Union’s key funding programme for innovation and research aimed at tackling climate change.

Ready to book?

To book onto one of our courses, please register your details on our learning platform below.