28.05.12
Research project boosts kidney disease diagnosis
A project in Greater Manchester has helped doctors to identify nearly 2,000 patients at risk of developing a serious loss of kidney function.
The NIHR GM CLAHRC (National Institute of Health Research Greater Manchester Collaboration for Leadership for Applied Health Research and Care) has helped 30 GP practices to diagnose patients in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
The two-year project worked to improve doctors’ understanding of the condition and diagnose accordingly. Patients are then given support and treatment to effectively manage their condition and reduce the risk of developing the later, more serious stages of the disease.
Donal O’Donoghue, project director and national lead for Kidney Care said: “This improvement initiative has given local GPs the opportunity to really make a difference to the communities they work in.
“By trying to reduce poor patient outcomes, such as patients requiring dialysis and suffering from long term cardiovascular diseases, which are the leading causes of death and disability in the UK for our patients and their families, this initiative has potentially saved the NHS millions of pounds worth of care that these patients would have inevitably required much earlier in life if their CKD had not been identified.”
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