©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
Emperor’s syndrome in the COVID-19 era: Time for patient-centered nephrology?
Dimitra Bacharaki, Department of Nephrology, Attikon University Hospital, Chaidari 12462, Greece
Athanasios Diamandopoulos, EKPA, Louros Foundation for the History of Medicine, Chaidari 12462, Greece
Author contributions: Bacharaki D wrote the paper; Diamandopoulos A supervised the historical background.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this article.
Corresponding author: Dimitra Bacharaki, MD, PhD, Doctor, Department of Nephrology, Attikon University Hospital, Rimini 1, Chaidari 12462, Greece. bacharaki@gmail.com
Received: May 20, 2020
Peer-review started: May 20, 2020
First decision: June 15, 2020
Revised: October 4, 2020
Accepted: November 11, 2020
Article in press: November 11, 2020
Published online: January 25, 2021
Processing time: 247 Days and 12.5 Hours
Peer-review started: May 20, 2020
First decision: June 15, 2020
Revised: October 4, 2020
Accepted: November 11, 2020
Article in press: November 11, 2020
Published online: January 25, 2021
Processing time: 247 Days and 12.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: In chronic kidney disease mortality is still unacceptably high. Despite many “whistle-blowers” of a “naked” Emperor (healthcare, polypharmacy without robust evidence), the change in clinical practice is slow. Examples are the absence of patient participation in the decision-making process, the low percentage of peritoneal dialysis in Europe and the United States, and the lack of algorithm-based therapeutic interventions. Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors are a positive example of evidence-based multitask treatment. The coronavirus disease-19 pandemic is a good time for reflection and action regarding a shift to patient-centered care in nephrology.