ABOUT
Purpose
The EDTNA-ERCA the renal patient information site is intended to direct patients and healthcare professionals to clinical relevant websites regarding chronic kidney disease. It is an initiative of the European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association (EDTNA-ERCA) in collaboration with CEAPIR.
EDTNA-ERCA
European Dialysis and Transplant Nursing Association/European Renal Care Association, EDTNA/ERCA is a multiprofessional renal care association that promotes quality in renal care through education, implementation of standards and research in renal care in Europe.
CEAPIR
The European Kidney Patients' Federation (CEAPIR) is the umbrella organisation for 22 national kidney patients' associations in Europe, representing people with chronic kidney disease.
Evaluation procedure
General websites are assessed based on the quality criteria rules published by the European Commission and on the criteria of the Health On the Net foundation. In these criteria transparency is the major keyword. As long as information providers are completely clear about for instance their objectives, sources etc., it is unlikely that misleading information will be presented. The Health On the net foundation is a voluntary accreditation scheme for health care information providers on the Internet.
The content of specific topic related websites was checked by healthcare professionals, working in the field of chronic kidney disease and by patients.
To each website (general and topic specific) a star rating is given from zero to five. We only include links to websites with a rating score of three or more.
(3 out of 5)
Procedure for assessing web sites
ˇ Every website is assessed both by a healthcare professional and a patient according to our evaluation rules and given a star rating (star pics).
ˇ For general sites the content of the external links off the site is not checked.
ˇ The accessibility, design, layout, and ease of use of the site are checked.
ˇ A short conclusion for every website is included.
ˇ The level of complexity of the information is checked and given a rating.
Basic 
Mixed
Advanced
Re-evaluation & up-date
Every six months, every website is checked again to see if they still comply to the evaluation criteria.
If you have questions regarding our evaluation procedure please contact us
Disclaimer
This patient website is an information and referral service only, and does not diagnose medical conditions, offer medical advice, or endorse specific products or services. Do not rely upon any of the information provided on this site for medical diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your primary health care provider about any personal health concerns. This website contains two different kinds of links to websites: general and topic specific. The general sites are a starting point for kidney disease related information. We checked if these sites comply with the Health on Net criteria. If a general websites directs you to another site be careful with that information. The content of these websites is not checked. The topic related sites contain specific information regarding different aspects of chronic renal disease. They are checked for content by our editors. We only selected websites that contain information and/or links to information designed especially for patients. Information you find on websies is for educational use only and is not intended to replace advice from a health professional. For more information about the evaluation proces please see : Evaluation procedure
References:
HON Code of Conduct (HONcode) for medical and health Web sites HON Foundation: URL: www.hon.ch
Commission of the European Communities eEurope 2002: Quality Criteria for Health related Websites
Journal of Medical Internet Research 2002;4(3):e15. URL: www.jmir.org/2002/3/e15/
Netscoring: URL: www.chu-rouen.fr , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Rouen.
Privacy policy
You do not have to provide any personal information to visit this Web site.
If you choose to provide us with information about yourself through an e-mail message, form, survey, etc., we will only maintain the information as long as needed to respond to your question or to fulfil the stated purpose of the communication.
When you browse through any Web site, certain personal information about you can be collected. Our Web server software automatically collects and temporarily stores only the number of hits on our or a specific website. No other information will be collected. We use this information for statistical purposes and to help us make our site better. If you follow the links included in this website you can visit websites with another privacy policy. Please check this when you visit them.
Sponsorship
Our thanks to GambroŽ Europe for supporting this site with a unconditioned grant.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Some documents on the suggested websites are available in a PDF format (PDF) file. They may be viewed on screen, downloaded, or printed to your local printer. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.
Download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader
Flash Plug-in
Some websites require Macromedia's Flash Player.
Download the latest Flash plug-in 
