Nephwork is the generic name for audit projects designed to allow SpRs to gain experience taking part in research projects. The plan is that a new project every year or two will be started where SpRs from around the country take part and gain the approriate training experience. This is a Renal Association driven initiative.
The first project is based on the AKI Alert data and aims to look at whether the expected treatment received as part of a Hospital admission met the guidelines.
Project: AKI Alert Audit
This The NephWork is a new SpR driven National SpR audit and research network supported by the Renal Association and the Renal Registry who’s aim is to develop, coordinate and deliver simple audit and research projects that answer a specific and simple question on a large scale by coordinating the audit and research activity of a large number of renal trainees nationally. The NephWork is part of and is financially supported by the Renal Association and runs with the support of the UK Renal Registry to undertake selected projects.
The first audit project selected is an audit of AKI care in acute admitting trusts nationally, 10 years on from the original NCEPOD report. Data will be used to compare patterns of care across the UK to nationally agreed audit standards for the care of patients with AKI (recently published RA guidelines) in order to review care standards and patient outcomes identified through the Renal Registry Master patient index for AKI.
Project: AKI Alert Audit
Description
The audit pro-forma has been developed by the NephWork steering committee following the Renal Association AKI audit guidelines. SpR's working in an NHS Trust who agree to be member of Nephwork will register the audit locally using a guidance which the Nephwork steering committee will provide in order to help with the process of registering. It will be necessary for a Consultant within the department to nominally be lead for the Audit locally.
We will be auditing the care of all episodes of AKI stage 2 and stage 3 which occur in patients admitted to Acute NHS Trusts during a period of four weeks in early 2020 (start date to be confirmed). These patients will be identified through the Master Patient Index at the UK Renal Registry and a patient identifier for each episode will be sent electronically from the Registry through a specially designed, secure, electronic portal hosted on a dedicated platform to SpR’s completing the Audit locally. SpR’s will review patient notes and records for the selected episodes and then return data using the electronic pro-forma securely through the portal.
This data will be analysed by the renal registry, following a pre-specified statistical analysis plan looking at:
- variations in care regionally/locally and
- associations between measures of AKI care and outcome
An important aspect of this project is that because each identifier contains a unique patient identifier code, we will then be able to link the data gained from the audit in order to analyse patient outcomes, including mortality.
Identifying Patients
This project involves anna generating a list of patients to audit for from participating hospitals.
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