CKD Population Health Management: Benefits & Challenges
- This study underscores a critical point in nephrology: effective CKD management requires a team-based approach.
- A new qualitative analysis from the OPTIMIZE-CKD study, published in Kidney Medicinehighlighted both strong support for comanagement between primary care providers (PCPs) and nephrologists and persistent gaps in...
- The study explored patient perspectives on the Kidney Coordinated HeAlth Management partnership (Kidney-CHAMP; Nct03832595), a population health management (PHM) intervention designed to optimize care for patients with chronic...
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A new qualitative analysis from the OPTIMIZE-CKD study, published in Kidney Medicinehighlighted both strong support for comanagement between primary care providers (PCPs) and nephrologists and persistent gaps in patient understanding of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression and management.1
The study explored patient perspectives on the Kidney Coordinated HeAlth Management partnership (Kidney-CHAMP; Nct03832595), a population health management (PHM) intervention designed to optimize care for patients with chronic kidney disease managed in primary care.
Education sessions by nurse educators were widely well-received, especially when they helped patients manage anxiety and provided actionable guidance. | Image Credit: Minerva Studio – stock.adobe.com
CKD affects about 14% of US adults over age 30, yet most patients with nondialysis-dependent disease are managed by primary care providers who may lack the specialized training, time, or resources for optimal care.2,3 These gaps can accelerate CKD progression and lead to complications such as unplanned dialysis starts, highlighting the need for innovative, multifaceted approaches like PHM.1
This ancillary study conducted semi-structured interviews with 45 patients randomized from the Kidney-CHAMP intervention group, stratifying by racial/ethnic minorities, low socioeconomic status, and multimorbidity from May 2021 to February 2022. Participants had a mean age of 75 years, 44% were women, 9% were non-White, 59% had low socioeconomic status, and 77% had a Charlson comorbidity index ≥8. Hypertension was global (100%), while 73% had diabetes and 91% had cardiovascular disease. The mean eGFR among participants was 38 mL/min/1.72 m (range, 19-61). All participants attended at least one nurse-led CKD education session, delivered via telemedicine.
The Kidney-CHAMP intervention combined 3 elements: nephrology e-