Kidney Health Australia has a real marketing wizz on its team.
Ever feel like you’re missing something from your life?
Something which will remind you that the unconquerable, indomitable human spirit continues to fight on in the face of climate change, world events and a looming AI job apocalypse?
Something which will make you want to get up in the morning because, dammit, this human world is worth fighting for after all?
Unfortunately, this humble scribe cannot give you that. You didn’t really expect to find the answers to life, the universe and everything inside of an article about wee, did you?
What we can give you, however, is the gift of knowing about Kidney Health Australia’s latest public awareness campaign, which has really leaned into… uh… toilet humour.
The Start Taking the Piss campaign features a catchy 30-second Broadway musical-style advertisement, in which a cartoon kidney (we understand his name is Billy) encourages the viewer to ask their GP for a “cup to pee in”.
While the jingle does not elaborate, presumably this is a urine sample cup which the GP then sends off for testing and not just a mug of wizz which the GP keeps for use as an avant-garde room spray.
According to Kidney Health Australia, up to 77% of people who are at risk of kidney disease have not had a “kidney piss test” in the past 24 months.
It also advises patients that they can lose 90% of kidney function without feeling any symptoms.
The RACGP guidelines for preventative activities suggest screening patients with an acute kidney injury for chronic kidney disease every year for three years following the event, and then every two years ongoing.
For patients with a family history of kidney failure, it recommends screening every two years.
While assessing for CKD is not an explicit requirement for the MBS GP heart health assessment item, the 2023 Australian Guideline for assessing and managing cardiovascular disease risk does identify kidney disease as a major risk factor for heart disease.
According to Kidney Health Australia, this reinforces the need for GPs to do a kidney health check – blood test, blood pressure, urine test – before completing a cardiovascular assessment.
The Medical Republic is delighted to convey the news that ‘start taking the piss’ merch is now available online, with shirts in a delightful shade which can only be described as ‘moderately dehydrated urine’, per the NHS urine colour chart.
More importantly, the web page encourages people to use their musical talents to spread the good word – it even provides sheet music for the ‘taking the piss’ jingle.
Send your story ideas to Holly@medicalrepublic.com.au. She won’t tell you to piss off.
