Longitudinal survey of clinician behavior change in CKD management

To assess longitudinal improvement for a simple intervention to teach physician assistants (PAs) and NPs management of patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD).

The original cohort from the Kidneys in a Box quality improvement project was revisited at the 3-year mark and asked about patient statin use, A1C measurement, urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR), CKD staging, distribution of over-the-counter (OTC) medication caution lists, and documentation of smoking history.

A statistically significant increase in quality metrics was seen at 3 months postintervention for the original cohort. At the 3-year mark, these improvements were sustained. For UACR and smoking quality metrics, performance increased beyond the gains initially seen at 3 months.

This study demonstrates that a single-intervention quality improvement program can affect sustained improvements in clinical care of patients with diabetes and CKD. The results provide evidence that one-time quality improvement interventions have the power to promote longitudinal practice changes associated with reduced rates of CKD progression and potentially reduced healthcare costs.