Early Identification of CKD-A Scoping Review of the Global Populations.

Introduction: Decisions on whether to screen for chronic kidney disease (CKD) or not remain contentious in nephrology. This study provides a global overview of early CKD identification efforts. Methods: Guidelines for scoping reviews were followed and studies were identified by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Data extracted from included studies focused on the following 4 themes: study population, measurement methods, interventions used, and available policies. Results: We identified 290 CKD screening and detection programs from 83 countries. Overall sample size was 3.72 million (North East Asia: 1.19 million), detection of CKD was the aim in 97.6%, 63.1% used population-based screening methods, and only 12.4% were in rural populations. Reported CKD prevalence (stages 3-5) was higher in targeted- (14.8%) than population-based studies (8.0%). Number of persons needed to screen (NNS) to identify 1 case was also lower in targeted studies (7 vs. 13). Single measurements (80%) and the combination of estimation of glomerular filtration rate with a urine test (albuminuria/proteinuria) (71.4%) were frequently used to detect CKD. Only 2.8% of studies included an intervention such as pharmacotherapy in identified cases. Policies on early identification were available in 30.1% of countries included. Conclusion: Methods for early CKD identification vary worldwide, often leading to wide variations in the reported prevalence. Efforts to standardize measurement methods for early detection focusing on high-risk populations and ensuring appropriate interventions are available to those identified with CKD will improve the value of programs and improve patient outcomes.

Impact of Home Telemonitoring and Management Support on Blood Pressure Control in Nondialysis CKD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and death. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy of home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) for blood pressure (BP) control and outcomes, but the effects of this intervention remain unclear in patients with CKD. Objective: To determine the impact of HBPT on cardiovascular-related and kidney disease-related outcomes in patients with CKD. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting: All studies that met our criteria regardless of country of origin. Participants: Patients with chronic kidney disease included in studies using HBPT for BP assessment and control. Measurements: Descriptive and quantitative analysis of our primary and secondary outcomes. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, and gray literature from inception for observational and randomized controlled studies in nondialysis (ND) CKD using HBPT for BP control. We selected studies that used HBPT as intervention (with or without a control arm) for BP control in ND-CKD populations. The primary outcome was change in mean systolic BP (SBP) and mean diastolic BP (DBP). Results: We selected 7 studies from 1669 articles that were initially identified. Overall, pooled estimates in the mean difference (MD) for SBP and DBP were -8.8 mm Hg; 95% confidence interval (CI): -16.2 to -1.4; P = .02 and -2.4 mm Hg; 95% CI: -3.8 to -1.0; P < .001, respectively. For studies comparing intervention with usual care (UC), pooled estimate in MD for SBP was -8.0 mm Hg (P = .02) with no significant reduction for DBP (-2.6 mm Hg; P = .18). In studies without a UC arm, both SBP and DBP were not significantly reduced (P > .05). The pooled estimate in MD for estimated glomerular filtration rate showed a significant improvement (5.4 mL/min/1.73 m2; P < .001). Limitations: Heterogeneity and few available studies for inclusion limited our ability to identify a robust link between HBPT use and BP and kidney function improvement. Conclusion: Home blood pressure telemonitoring is associated with mild lowering of BP and moderately improved kidney function in patients with CKD. However, larger studies with improved designs and prolonged interventions are still needed to assess the effects of HBPT on patients' outcomes. PROSPERO registration ID: CRD42020190705.

Contexte: L'hypertension est une cause majeure de maladie cardiovasculaire, d'insuffisance rénale chronique (IRC) et de mortalité. Plusieurs études ont montré l'efficacité de la télésurveillance de la pression artérielle à domicile (TSPA) pour le contrôle de la pression artérielle (PA) et les évènements cliniques, mais les effets de cette intervention demeurent mal connus chez les patients atteints d'IRC. Objectif: Évaluer l'effet de la TSPA sur les évènements cardiovasculaires et rénaux chez les patients atteints d'IRC. Conception: Revue systématique et méta-analyse. Sources: Toutes les études satisfaisant nos critères, peu importe le pays d'origine. Sujets: Les patients atteints d'IRC inclus dans les études portant sur l'utilisation de la TSPA pour réguler la pression artérielle. Mesures: Analyse descriptive et quantitative de nos résultats primaires et secondaires. Méthodologie: Nous avons consulté les bases de données MEDLINE, embase, CINAHL plus, PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL et Web of Science, de même que la littérature grise depuis leur début, à la recherche des études observationnelles contrôlées et randomisées portant sur l'utilisation de la TSPA pour contrôler la PA chez des patients atteints d'IRC non dialysés. Nous avons sélectionné les études (avec ou sans bras témoin) utilisant l'intervention (TSPA pour contrôler la PA) dans des populations de patients atteints d'IRC non dialysés. Le principal critère d'évaluation était un changement de la pression systolique moyenne (PSM) et de la pression diastolique moyenne (PDM). Résultats: Nous avons retenu sept études parmi les 1 669 articles initialement répertoriés. Dans l'ensemble, les estimations regroupées de la différence moyenne (DM) pour la PSM et la PDM étaient de −8,8 mmHg (IC 95%: −16,2 à −1,4; P = 0,02) et de −2,4 mmHg (IC 95%: −3,8 à −1,0; P < 0,001) respectivement. Dans les études qui comparaient l'intervention aux soins habituels (SH), les estimations regroupées de la DM s'établissaient à −8,0 mmHg (P = 0,02) pour la PSM, sans réduction significative pour la PDM (−2,6 mmHg; P = 0,18). Dans les études sans bras SH, aucune réduction significative n'a été observée pour la PSM et la PDM (P > 0,05). L'estimation groupée de la DM pour le débit de filtration glomérulaire estimé (DFGe) a montré une amélioration significative (5,4 ml/min/1,73 m2; P < 0,001). Limites: Le peu d'études disponibles pour inclusion et leur hétérogénéité limitent notre capacité à établir un lien robuste entre l'utilisation de la TSPA et une amélioration de la PA et de la fonction rénale. Conclusion: La TSPA est associée à une légère baisse de la PA et à une amélioration modérée de la fonction rénale chez les patients atteints d'IRC. Des études de plus grande envergure, avec des conceptions améliorées et des interventions prolongées, sont nécessaires pour mieux évaluer les effets de la TSPA sur les résultats des patients.

Impact of quality improvement initiatives to improve CKD referral patterns: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global-health problem. A significant proportion of referrals to nephrologists for CKD management are early and guideline-discordant, which may lead to an excess number of referrals and increased wait-times. Various initiatives have been tested to increase the proportion of guideline-concordant referrals and decrease wait times. This paper describes the protocol for a systematic review to study the impacts of quality improvement initiatives aimed at decreasing the number of non-guideline concordant referrals, increasing the number of guideline-concordant referrals and decreasing wait times for patients to access a nephrologist. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We developed this protocol by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols (2015). We will search the following empirical electronic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO and grey literature for studies designed to improve guideline-concordant referrals or to reduce unnecessary referrals of patients with CKD from primary care to nephrology. Our search will include all studies published from database inception to April 2021 with no language restrictions. The studies will be limited to referrals for adult patients to nephrologists. Referrals of patients with CKD from non-nephrology specialists (eg, general internal medicine) will be excluded. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval will not be required, as we will analyse data from studies that have already been published and are publicly accessible. We will share our findings using traditional approaches, including scientific presentations, open access peer-reviewed platforms, and appropriate government and public health agencies. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021247756.

Assessing the impact of screening, early identification and intervention programmes for chronic kidney disease: protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major threat to public health, especially in low-income and lower middle-income countries, where resources for treating patients with advanced CKD are scarce. Although early CKD identification and intervention hold promise for reducing the burden of CKD and risk factors, it remains unclear if an uniform strategy can be applicable across all income groups. The aim of this scoping review is to synthesise available evidence on early CKD identification programmes in all world regions and income groups. The study will also identify efforts that have been made to use interventions and implementation of early identification programmes for CKD across countries and income groups. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This review will be guided by the methodological framework for conducting scoping studies developed by Arksey and O'Malley. Empirical (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, ISI Web of Science and PsycINFO) and grey literature references will be searched to identify studies on CKD screening, early identification and interventions across all populations. Two reviewers will independently screen references in consecutive stages of title/abstract screening and then full-text screening. We will use a general descriptive overview, tabular summaries and content analysis on extracted data. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The findings from our planned scoping review will enable us to identify items in early identification programmes that can be used in developing screening toolkits for CKD. We will disseminate our findings using traditional approaches that include open-access peer-reviewed publication, scientific presentations and a white paper (call to action) report. Ethical approval will not be required for this scoping review as the data will be extracted from already published studies.

Prevalence of polypharmacy and associated adverse health outcomes in adult patients with chronic kidney disease: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy, often defined as the concomitant use of ≥ 5 medications, has been identified as a significant global public health threat. Aging and multimorbidity are key drivers of polypharmacy and have been linked to a broad range of adverse health outcomes and mortality. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly at high risk of polypharmacy and use of potentially inappropriate medications given the numerous risk factors and complications associated with CKD. The aim of this systematic review will be to assess the prevalence of polypharmacy among adult patients with CKD, and the potential association between polypharmacy and adverse health outcomes within this population. METHODS/DESIGN: We will search empirical databases such as MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO and grey literature from inception onwards (with no language restrictions) for observational studies (e.g., cross-sectional or cohort studies) reporting the prevalence of polypharmacy in adult patients with CKD (all stages including dialysis). Two reviewers will independently screen all citations, full-text articles, and extract data. Potential conflicts will be resolved through discussion. The study methodological quality will be appraised using an appropriate tool. The primary outcome will be the prevalence of polypharmacy. Secondary outcomes will include any adverse health outcomes (e.g., worsening kidney function) in association with polypharmacy. If appropriate, we will conduct random effects meta-analysis of observational data to summarize the pooled prevalence of polypharmacy and the associations between polypharmacy and adverse outcomes. Statistical heterogeneity will be estimated using Cochran's Q and I2 index. Additional analyses will be conducted to explore the potential sources of heterogeneity (e.g., sex, kidney replacement therapy, multimorbidity). DISCUSSION: Given that polypharmacy is a major and a growing public health issue, our findings will highlight the prevalence of polypharmacy, hazards associated with it, and medication thresholds associated with adverse outcomes in patients with CKD. Our study will also draw attention to the prognostic importance of improving medication practices as a key priority area to help minimize the use of inappropriate medications in patients with CKD. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: [ CRD42020206514 ].

Impact of home telemonitoring and management support on blood pressure control in non-dialysis CKD: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Hypertension is a common public health problem and a key modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular (CV) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Home blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring (HBPT) and management is associated with improved BP control, accelerated delivery of care and decision-making strategies that can reduce adverse outcomes associated with hypertension. The aim of this paper is to describe the protocol for a systematic review to assess the impact of HBPT interventions used for improving BP control and reducing CV and kidney outcomes in non-dialysis CKD patients. METHODS: We developed this protocol using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Protocols 2015. We will search empirical databases such as MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Science and PsycINFO and grey literature for studies conducted in non-dialysis CKD patients on interventions using HBPT and reporting outcomes related to BP control and other outcomes such as CV events and kidney disease progression. All studies meeting these criteria, in adults and published from inception until 2020 with no language barrier will be included. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval will not be required for this review as the data used will be extracted from already published studies with publicly accessible data. As this study will assess the impact of HBPT on BP control in non-dialysis CKD patients, evidence gathered through it will be disseminated using traditional approaches that includes open-access peer-reviewed publication, scientific presentations and a report. We will also disseminate our findings to appropriate government agencies. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42020190705).