Barriers to successful care for chronic kidney disease

Background: The National Kidney Foundation has formulated clinical practice guidelines for patients with chronic kidney disease (K/DOQI). However, little is know about how many patients actually achieve these goals in a dedicated clinic for chronic kidney disease. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 198 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of less than 30 ml/min/1.73 m2 and determined whether K/DOQI goals were met for calcium, phosphate, calcium-phosphate product, parathyroid hormone, albumin, bicarbonate, hemoglobin, lipids, and blood pressure. Results: We found that only a small number of patients achieved K/DOQI targets. Recent referral to the nephrologist, failure to attend scheduled clinic appointments, African American ethnicity, diabetes, and advanced renal failure were significant predictors of low achievement of K/DOQI goals. Conclusion: We conclude that raising awareness of chronic kidney disease and K/DOQI goals among primary care providers, early referral to a nephrologist, the exploration of socioeconomic barriers and cultural differences, and both patient and physician education are critical to improve CKD care in patients with Stage 4 and 5 CKD. © 2005 Lenz et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.