ABSTRACT
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health issue that increasingly affects more patients globally and is associated with adverse clinical consequences with huge economic impact. Effective management of patients with CKD requires delivery of kidney care in a primary care setting where possible and at a higher level with a nephrologist when necessary to improve outcomes. In many instances and for various reasons, it is not possible to follow this pathway of care delivery. With improving telecommunication technologies worldwide, it is hoped that increasing utilisation of electronic communication devices can be used to facilitate kidney care to improve the quality of care delivered to patients, especially those who live in remote regions. Kidney care and therefore outcomes for patients with CKD is often compromised due to lack of access to a nephrologist, either because of distance or shortage of nephrologists, high proportion of patients being unaware they have CKD, lack of population screening for early detection of CKD and risk factors and prevention programmes and poor patient adherence and absence of appropriate CKD management strategies. Telenephrology can play a significant role in addressing these factors and therefore can be leveraged to improve CKD outcomes globally, especially in low to middle-income countries. This paper provides an overview on the potential role of telenephrology in enhancing access to and quality of care delivered to patients with CKD to improve outcomes.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The risk of major adverse events associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) could potentially be reduced with effective medical interventions. The impact of multifaceted interventions as compared with usual care in patients with nondiabetic CKD is unclear. We performed a systematic review to analyze the impact of multifaceted interventions on reducing the risk of major adverse events in this population. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases for medical literature published up to November 2016. Published original studies and abstracts were reviewed that reported on adult patients in a community or specialty care setting, with 2 or more CKD risk factors, treated with a combination of more than 2 interventions. We included randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews. Studies focused on diabetic patients were excluded. The intervention was defined as a treatment with a combination of 2 or more interventions compared with the usual care. The outcomes were defined as a reduction in the risk of adverse clinical outcomes (renal replacement therapy, all-cause hospitalizations, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular events) as primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes were optimal risk factor control (attaining guideline concordant blood pressure, reduction of proteinuria, smoking cessation). RESULTS: Five of the 5846 unique citations from our initial literature search met our study criteria. All identified studies reported on patients with CKD and their management. In comparison with usual care, multifaceted interventions tended to reduce all-cause mortality (risk ratio: 0.81, 95% confidence interval: 0.63-1.03) and were associated with a lower risk of progression to kidney failure requiring dialysis (risk ratio: 0.57, 95% confidence interval: 0.35-0.94). Multifaceted interventions were not associated with reducing risk of all-cause hospitalizations (risk ratio: 0.93, 95% confidence interval: 0.71-1.23) or improved blood pressure control (mean difference: -0.48, range: -2.5 to 1.55 mm Hg). DISCUSSION: Multifaceted interventions targeting multiple risk factors tended to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and reduced the risk to progress to end-stage kidney failure in patients with CKD. There is a need for high-quality studies that can rigorously evaluate a set of interventions targeting multiple domains of CKD management in the population with nondiabetic CKD due to paucity of data in the current published literature.
ABSTRACT
An effective workforce is essential for delivery of high-quality chronic disease care. Low-income nations are challenged by a dearth and/or maldistribution of an essential workforce required for all chronic disease care including chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nephrology education and training in developed countries have grown at pace with the technological advancement in the practice of medicine in order to meet the standards required of kidney health professionals towards high-quality, patient-centered medical care. The standards designed by institutions and/or professional societies, such as Royal Colleges and Medical Councils in high-income nations with well-developed health systems and infrastructures, are often not easily translatable to issues critical to nephrology practice in low-income nations. Little or no guidance is provided on common nephrological issues of regional nature or pertaining to ethnic minorities and disadvantaged groups living in those countries. There is an emergent need for a training curriculum that meets the needs and peculiarities of the developing nations, and this needs to leverage on the existing and well-validated systems of training across the globe. We evaluated nephrology training programs across 25 upper-middle and high-income nations to identify best practices and opportunities for adoption in low-income nations. We reviewed training guidelines from major professional societies on content and process of training. There are similarities and differences in structure, content, and process of training programs across countries, and there are clearly adoptable concepts/frameworks for application in low-income nations. We provide recommendations and a strategic plan for the future focus of nephrology training in the developing world to align with current trends in technological advancement and development as well as the need for emphasis on prevention of CKD. The essential competencies (patient- and population--based) required of a nephrologist in a developing world setting are outlined with practical measures and an action plan for adoption.
