The National Kidney Disease Education Program and other related efforts in the United States

The National Kidney Disease Education Program (NKDEP) works to reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its complications through educational efforts targeted towards at-risk communities, patients and health-care professionals. NKDEP aims to improve early detection of CKD, facilitate identification of patients at greatest risk for progression to kidney failure and promote evidence-based interventions. Barriers to achieving these goals include confusion and misunderstanding of the laboratory tests used to identify and monitor patients with CKD. Through the Laboratory Working Group, NKDEP has collaborated with the clinical chemistry community to standardize creatinine measurements, promote the routine reporting of eGFR and standardize the measurement and reporting of urine albumin. It is hoped that these efforts will improve screening, clinical care and research in CKD and facilitate the implementation of evidence-based care recommended by the National Kidney Foundation and others.