Background:
Approximately 7.2 million people, more than 10% of the UK population, suffer with chronic kidney disease (CKD) yet around a million people remain undiagnosed. Early diagnosis of CKD relies on compliance to routine screening of serum estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urinary albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) in those patients with risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension however uptake to annual urine testing is largely poor
Aim of the case report:
This is a retrospective review of home ACR testing which aims to highlight the important place of remote clinical testing in the early detection of CKD. At home ACR testing kits were utilised to reach at risk patients from their homes. Kits were sent out to at risk patients enabling these patients to obtain immediate results via their smartphone. These results were also transmitted to patients clinical records for analysis by our clinical team
Case report:
108 patients were reached by the at home ACR testing kits, 69% performed the test, 73% of tests returned were normal and 17 patients had abnormal urinary ACR. All patients surveyed said the test was 'very easy', and all said they would prefer at-home testing in the future.
Conclusions:
CKD is a leading cause of years of life lost therefore appropriate screening, diagnosis and management by primary care clinicians is essential to prevent adverse CKD-associated outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, end-stage kidney disease and, ultimately, premature death. Remote clinical testing has an important role in the early detection of CKD in primary care. It was well received by patients, improved CKD detection, and promoted adherence to future urinary testing, an essential component of CKD screening.
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