Table 3.
Reasons for referral of CKD patients to nephrologists prior to and following the introduction of automated laboratory reporting of eGFR. The differences in reasons for referral between the two time periods were statistically significant (P < 0.001)
| KCAT criteria met | Referral reason | Pre-eGFR (n = 171) | Post-eGFR (n = 831) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 43 (25%) | 203 (24%) |
| Rapidly declining kidney function (15% in eGFR over 3 months | 0 (0%) | 2 (0%) | |
| irrespective of baseline level) | |||
| Proteinuria >1g/24 h | 18 (11%) | 38 (5%) | |
| Glomerular haematuria | 19 (11%) | 48 (6%) | |
| Kidney disease and hypertension that proves difficult to control | 7 (4%) | 41 (5%) | |
| Diabetes and eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 24 (14%) | 107 (13%) | |
| As deemed appropriate by nephrologist (e.g. ADPKD) | 16 (9%) | 95 (11%) | |
| No | CKD but eGFR >30 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 41 (24%) | 289 (35%) |
| Diabetes but eGFR >60 mL/min/1.73 m2 | 3 (1.8%) | 0 (0%) | |
| Not defined | 0 (0%) | 8 (1%) |