The project 'Impact of COVID-19 protective measures and shielding in vulnerable patients with kidney failure', coordinated by Prof. Marc Hemmelder and Drs Pim Bouwmans (Dept of Internal Medicine), has been granted by ZonMw. This grant includes funding for a two-year postdoctoral research position.

Dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients (KTR) were the most vulnerable patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these patients adhered strictly to personal protective measures and governmental measures. In this project, the effects of these measures on the physical and mental health of these patients will be investigated by data collection from RECOVAC surveys on personal protective and governmental measures in ±1000 dialysis patients and ±3500 KTR. This data collection is enriched with national patient registries, the RIVM and CBS. Additionally, health inequalities in patients will be investigated according to periods with and without governmental measures, and according to patient characteristics such as age, sex, household composition, educational level and occupational status. This project provides in-depth knowledge on the effects of personal protective and governmental measures on vulnerable patients. Such knowledge can be used during future pandemics.

The project will be conducted in cooperation with Nierpatiënten Vereniging Nederland, Nefrovisie, and RECOVAC collaborators from all university medical centers in the Netherlands.