Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an insidious disease that requires early nephroprotective measures to delay progression to end-stage kidney disease. The objective of this study was to describe the management of patients with CKD in primary care, including clinical and biological monitoring and prescribed treatments. A retrospective, single-centre study was conducted on adult patients who were treated in the Maison de Neufchâtel (France) between 2012 and 2017 at least once a year. The inclusion criteria were 2 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements <60 mL/min more than 3 months apart. Two subgroups were constituted according to whether CKD was coded in the electronic medical records (EMRs).
A total of 291 (6.7%, CI95% 5.9-7.4) patients with CKD were included. The mean eGFR was 51.0 ± 16.4 mL/min. Hypertension was the most frequent health problem reported (n = 93, 32%). Nephrotective agents were prescribed in 194 (66.7%) patients, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in 22 (8%) patients, and proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) in 147 (47%) patients. CKD coding in EMRs was associated with dosage of natraemia (n = 34, 100%, P < 0.01), albuminuria (n = 20, 58%, P < 0.01), vitamin D (n = 14, 41%, P < 0.001), and phosphorus (n = 11, 32%, P < 0.001). Eighty-one patients (31.5%) with low eGFR without an entered code for CKD were prescribed an albuminuria dosage. Clinical monitoring could not be analysed due to poor coding.
This pilot study reinforces the hypothesis that CKD is underscreened and undermanaged. More systematic coding of medical information in EMRs and further studies on medical centre databases should improve primary care practices.

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