BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) complicates 15-20% of hospitalizations, and AKI survivors are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease and death. However, less than 20% of patients see a nephrologist within 3 months of discharge, even though a nephrologist visit within 90 days of discharge is associated with enhanced survival. To address this, we established an AKI Follow-Up Clinic and characterized the patterns of care delivered. METHODS: We conducted a prospective time series study. All hospitalized patients who developed Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 2 or 3 AKI were eligible. The pre-intervention period consisted of electronic reminders to the nephrology consults and cardiovascular surgery services to refer to the AKI Follow-Up Clinic. In the post-intervention period, eligible patients were automatically scheduled into the AKI Follow-Up Clinic at discharge. The primary outcome was the percentage of KDIGO stages 2-3 AKI survivors assessed by a nephrologist within 30 days of discharge. RESULTS: In the pre-intervention period, 8 of 46 patients (17%) were seen by a nephrologist within 30 days after discharge, and no additional patients were seen for 90 days. In the post-intervention period, 17 of 69 patients (25%) were seen by a nephrologist within 30 days after discharge (p = 0.36), with an additional 30 patients seen in 90 days (47 of 69, 68%, p < 0.001). The mean serum creatinine was 99 (SD 35) µmol/l prior to hospitalization and 133 (58) µmol/l at 3 months. Fifty-five of 79 patients (70%) received at least 1 medical intervention at their first AKI Follow-Up Clinic visit. CONCLUSIONS: An AKI Follow-Up Clinic with an automatic referral process increased the proportion of patients seen at 90 days, but not 30 days post discharge. Being seen in the AKI Follow-Up Clinic was associated with interventions in most patients. Future research is needed to evaluate the effect of the AKI Follow-Up Clinic on patient-centered outcomes, but physicians should be aware that AKI survivors may benefit from close outpatient follow-up and a multipronged approach to care similarly for other high-risk populations.
BACKGROUND:Acute kidney injury (AKI) complicates 15-20% of hospitalizations, and AKI survivors are at increased risk of chronic kidney disease and death. However, less than 20% of patients see a nephrologist within 3 months of discharge, even though a nephrologist visit within 90 days of discharge is associated with enhanced survival. To address this, we established an AKI Follow-Up Clinic and characterized the patterns of care delivered. METHODS: We conducted a prospective time series study. All hospitalized patients who developed Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) stage 2 or 3 AKI were eligible. The pre-intervention period consisted of electronic reminders to the nephrology consults and cardiovascular surgery services to refer to the AKI Follow-Up Clinic. In the post-intervention period, eligible patients were automatically scheduled into the AKI Follow-Up Clinic at discharge. The primary outcome was the percentage of KDIGO stages 2-3 AKI survivors assessed by a nephrologist within 30 days of discharge. RESULTS: In the pre-intervention period, 8 of 46 patients (17%) were seen by a nephrologist within 30 days after discharge, and no additional patients were seen for 90 days. In the post-intervention period, 17 of 69 patients (25%) were seen by a nephrologist within 30 days after discharge (p = 0.36), with an additional 30 patients seen in 90 days (47 of 69, 68%, p < 0.001). The mean serum creatinine was 99 (SD 35) µmol/l prior to hospitalization and 133 (58) µmol/l at 3 months. Fifty-five of 79 patients (70%) received at least 1 medical intervention at their first AKI Follow-Up Clinic visit. CONCLUSIONS: An AKI Follow-Up Clinic with an automatic referral process increased the proportion of patients seen at 90 days, but not 30 days post discharge. Being seen in the AKI Follow-Up Clinic was associated with interventions in most patients. Future research is needed to evaluate the effect of the AKI Follow-Up Clinic on patient-centered outcomes, but physicians should be aware that AKI survivors may benefit from close outpatient follow-up and a multipronged approach to care similarly for other high-risk populations.
Authors: Chi-Yuan Hsu; Vernon M Chinchilli; Steven Coca; Prasad Devarajan; Nasrollah Ghahramani; Alan S Go; Raymond K Hsu; T Alp Ikizler; James Kaufman; Kathleen D Liu; Chirag R Parikh; W Brian Reeves; Mark Wurfel; Michael Zappitelli; Paul L Kimmel; Edward D Siew Journal: JAMA Intern Med Date: 2020-03-01 Impact factor: 21.873
Authors: Samuel A Silver; Rory McQuillan; Ziv Harel; Adam V Weizman; Alison Thomas; Gihad Nesrallah; Chaim M Bell; Christopher T Chan; Glenn M Chertow Journal: Clin J Am Soc Nephrol Date: 2016-03-25 Impact factor: 8.237
Authors: Chi-Yuan Hsu; Kathleen D Liu; Jingrong Yang; David V Glidden; Thida C Tan; Leonid Pravoverov; Sijie Zheng; Alan S Go Journal: Clin J Am Soc Nephrol Date: 2019-12-16 Impact factor: 8.237
Authors: Samuel A Silver; Ziv Harel; Eric McArthur; Danielle M Nash; Rey Acedillo; Abhijat Kitchlu; Amit X Garg; Glenn M Chertow; Chaim M Bell; Ron Wald Journal: J Am Soc Nephrol Date: 2017-12-14 Impact factor: 10.121
Authors: Ravindra Mehta; Azra Bihorac; Nicholas M Selby; Hude Quan; Stuart L Goldstein; John A Kellum; Claudio Ronco; Sean M Bagshaw Journal: Can J Kidney Health Dis Date: 2016-02-26