Dataset Information

Receipt of Nephrology Care and Clinical Outcomes Among Veterans With Advanced CKD.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Clinical practice guidelines recommend referral to nephrology when estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreases to <30mL/min/1.73m2; however, evidence for benefits of nephrology care are mixed. STUDY DESIGN:Observational cohort using landmark analysis. SETTINGS & PARTICIPANTS:A national cohort of veterans with advanced chronic kidney disease, defined as an outpatient eGFR?30mL/min/1.73m2 for January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010, and a prior eGFR<60mL/min/1.73m2, using administrative and laboratory data from the Department of Veterans Affairs and the US Renal Data System. PREDICTOR:Receipt and frequency of outpatient nephrology care over 12 months. OUTCOMES:Survival and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD; receipt of dialysis or kidney transplantation) were the primary outcomes. In addition, control of associated clinical parameters over 12 months were intermediate outcomes. RESULTS:Of 39,669 patients included in the cohort, 14,983 (37.8%) received nephrology care. Older age, heart failure, dementia, depression, and rapidly declining kidney function were independently associated with the absence of nephrology care. During a mean follow-up of 2.9 years, 14,719 (37.1%) patients died and 4,310 (10.9%) progressed to ESRD. In models adjusting for demographics, comorbid conditions, and trajectory of kidney function, nephrology care was associated with lower risk for death (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.85-0.91), but higher risk for ESRD (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.38-1.58). Among patients with clinical parameters outside guideline recommendations at cohort entry, a significantly higher adjusted proportion of patients who received nephrology care had improvement in control of hemoglobin, potassium, albumin, calcium, and phosphorus concentrations compared with those who did not receive nephrology care. LIMITATIONS:May not be generalizable to nonveterans. CONCLUSIONS:Among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease, nephrology care was associated with lower mortality, but was not associated with lower risk for progression to ESRD.

SUBMITTER: Fung E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5651183 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Receipt of Nephrology Care and Clinical Outcomes Among Veterans With Advanced CKD.

Fung Enrica E Chang Tara I TI Chertow Glenn M GM Thomas I-Chun IC Asch Steven M SM Kurella Tamura Manjula M

American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation 20170812 5

<h4>Background</h4>Clinical practice guidelines recommend referral to nephrology when estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decreases to <30mL/min/1.73m<sup>2</sup>; however, evidence for benefits of nephrology care are mixed.<h4>Study design</h4>Observational cohort using landmark analysis.<h4>Settings & participants</h4>A national cohort of veterans with advanced chronic kidney disease, defined as an outpatient eGFR≤30mL/min/1.73m<sup>2</sup> for January 1, 2010, through December 31, 201 ...[more]

PMID: 28811048

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Project description:BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:Little is known about the quality of end-of-life care for patients with advanced CKD. We describe the relationship between patterns of end-of-life care and dialysis treatment with family-reported quality of end-of-life care in this population. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS:We designed a retrospective observational study among a national cohort of 9993 veterans with advanced CKD who died in Department of Veterans Affairs facilities between 2009 and 2015. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations between patterns of end-of-life care and receipt of dialysis (no dialysis, acute dialysis, maintenance dialysis) with family-reported quality of end-of-life care. RESULTS:Overall, 52% of cohort members spent ?2 weeks in the hospital in the last 90 days of life, 34% received an intensive procedure, and 47% were admitted to the intensive care unit, in the last 30 days, 31% died in the intensive care unit, 38% received a palliative care consultation in the last 90 days, and 36% were receiving hospice services at the time of death. Most (55%) did not receive dialysis, 12% received acute dialysis, and 34% received maintenance dialysis. Patients treated with acute or maintenance dialysis had more intensive patterns of end-of-life care than those not treated with dialysis. After adjustment for patient and facility characteristics, receipt of maintenance (but not acute) dialysis and more intensive patterns of end-of-life care were associated with lower overall family ratings of end-of-life care, whereas receipt of palliative care and hospice services were associated with higher overall ratings. The association between maintenance dialysis and overall quality of care was attenuated after additional adjustment for end-of-life treatment patterns. CONCLUSIONS:Among patients with advanced CKD, care focused on life extension rather than comfort was associated with lower family ratings of end-of-life care regardless of whether patients had received dialysis.

Project description:BackgroundOlder adults with advanced non-dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) face a high risk of hospitalization and related adverse events.MethodsThis prospective cohort study followed nephrology clinic patients ≥60 years old with NDD-CKD stages 4-5. After an eligible patient's office visit, study staff asked the patient's provider to rate the patient's risk of death within the next year using the surprise question ("Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next 12 months?") with a 5-point Likert scale response (1, "definitely not surprised" to 5, "very surprised"). We used a statewide database to ascertain hospitalization during follow-up.ResultsThere were 488 patients (median age 72 years, 51% female, 17% black) with median estimated glomerular filtration rate 22 mL/min/1.73 m2. Over a median follow-up of 2.1 years, the rates of hospitalization per 100 person-years in the respective response groups were 41 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 34-50), "very surprised"; 65 (95% CI: 55-76), "surprised"; 98 (95% CI: 85-113), "neutral"; 125 (95% CI: 107-144), "not surprised"; and 120 (95% CI: 94-151), "definitely not surprised." In a fully adjusted cumulative probability ordinal regression model for proportion of follow-up time spent hospitalized, patients whose providers indicated that they would be "definitely not surprised" if they died spent a greater proportion of follow-up time hospitalized compared with those whose providers indicated that they would be "very surprised" (odds ratio 2.4, 95% CI: 1.0-5.7). There was a similar association for time to first hospitalization.ConclusionNephrology providers' responses to the surprise question for older patients with advanced NDD-CKD were independently associated with proportion of future time spent hospitalized and time to first hospitalization. Additional studies should examine how to use this information to provide patients with anticipatory guidance on their possible clinical trajectory and to target potentially preventable hospitalizations.

Project description:Rationale & objectiveItching is a frequent symptom experienced by people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We investigated the associations of CKD-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) with clinical outcomes.Study designThis was a longitudinal cohort study.Setting & participantsPatients from Brazil, France, and the United States enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps) from 2013 to 2021, an international prospective cohort study of adults with nondialysis dependent CKD, and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were included.ExposureCKD-aP was self-reported by response to the question: "During the past 4 weeks, to what extent were you bothered by itchy skin?"OutcomesThe outcomes were as follows: CKD progression, kidney replacement therapy (KRT) initiation, mortality, hospitalization, cardiovascular events, infection events.Analytical approachAssociations with time-to-event outcomes were investigated using Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for potential confounders.ResultsThere were 4,410 patients from 91 clinics with a median age of 69 years and a median eGFR at patient questionnaire completion of 29 (21-38) mL/min/1.73 m2. The proportion of patients not at all, somewhat, moderately, very much, and extremely bothered by itchy skin was 49%, 27%, 13%, 7%, and 3%, respectively. Patients with more advanced stages of CKD, older age, and greater comorbidities reported to be more likely bothered by itchy skin. Among patients at least moderately bothered, 23% were prescribed at least 1 pharmacotherapy (35% in the United States, 19% in France, 4% in Brazil), including antihistamine (10%), gabapentin (6%), topical corticosteroids (4%), pregabalin (3%), or sedating antihistamine (3%). The HR (95% CI) for patients extremely (vs not at all) bothered was 1.74 (1.11-2.73) for all-cause mortality, 1.56 (1.11-2.18) for all-cause hospitalization, and 1.84 (1.22-2.75) for cardiovascular events. As CKD-aP severity increased, patients also had higher rates of infection events (P = 0.04); CKD-aP severity was not associated with KRT initiation (P = 0.20) or CKD progression (P = 0.87).LimitationsThe limitations were 25% nonresponse rate, recall bias, and residual confounding factors.ConclusionsThese results demonstrate a strong association between severe itch and clinical outcomes, providing the nephrology community new insights into the possible adverse consequences of CKD-aP in individuals with nondialysis CKD, and warrant further exploration.Plain-language summaryChronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is a common disturbing symptom of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This article analyzes longitudinal data from the Chronic Kidney Disease Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (CKDopps) to describe prevalence of CKD-aP in 4,410 individuals with nondialysis CKD, and its association with clinical outcomes. We found that 51% of the surveyed population were bothered by pruritus. CKD-aP was more prevalent in those with more advanced stages of CKD, older age, and with more comorbid conditions. Compared to those not at all bothered by pruritus, those who were extremely bothered had a higher risk of all-cause mortality, hospitalizations, and cardiovascular events. Severity of CKD-aP was not associated with CKD progression or initiation of kidney replacement therapy.

Project description:Rationale & objectiveChronic kidney disease (CKD) care is often fragmented across multiple health care providers. It is unclear whether patients rely mostly on their nephrologists or non-nephrologist providers for medical care, including CKD treatment and advice.Study designCross-sectional study.Setting & participantsAdults receiving nephrology care at CKD clinics in Pennsylvania.PredictorsFrequency, duration, and patient-centeredness (range, 1 [least] to 4 [most]) of participants' nephrology care.OutcomeParticipants' reliance on nephrologists, primary care providers, or other specialists for medical care, including CKD treatment and advice.Analytical approachMultivariable logistic regression to quantify associations between participants' reliance on their nephrologists (vs other providers) and their demographics, comorbid conditions, kidney function, and nephrology care.ResultsAmong 1,412 patients in clinics targeted for the study, 676 (48%) participated. Among these, 453 (67%) were eligible for this analysis. Mean age was 71 (SD, 12) years, 59% were women, 97% were white, and 65% were retired. Participants were in nephrology care for a median of 3.8 (IQR, 2.0-6.6) years and completed a median of 4 (IQR, 3-5) nephrology appointments in the past 2 years. Half (56%) the participants relied primarily on their nephrologists, while 23% relied on primary care providers, 18% relied on all providers equally, and 3% relied on other specialists. Participants' adjusted odds of relying on their nephrologists were higher for those in nephrology care for longer (OR, 1.08 [95% CI, 1.02-1.15]; P = 0.02), those who completed more nephrology visits in the previous 2 years (OR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.05-1.29]; P = 0.005), and those who perceived their last interaction with their nephrologists as more patient-centered (OR, 2.63 [95% CI, 1.70-4.09]; P < 0.001).LimitationsSingle health system study.ConclusionsMany nephrology patients relied on non-nephrologist providers for medical care. Longitudinal patient-centered nephrology care may encourage more patients to follow nephrologists' recommendations.

Dataset Information

Receipt of Nephrology Care and Clinical Outcomes Among Veterans With Advanced CKD.

Publications

Receipt of Nephrology Care and Clinical Outcomes Among Veterans With Advanced CKD.

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