Using Practice Data to Improve Early Detection of CKD
27 Aug 2026
An audit at one general practice found that patients with diabetes were regularly receiving kidney health checks, including blood pressure, eGFR and urine ACR testing.
However, patients with other CKD risk factors, including hypertension and obesity, were less likely to receive the same checks.
The findings led to a quality improvement activity at the practice. However, collecting the information manually from practice software was time consuming and may be difficult for busy practices to undertake without additional support.
CKD can develop without obvious symptoms, meaning patients may lose a significant amount of kidney function before the condition is identified.
Key risk factors include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity and smoking. Despite this, consistently screening people at risk can be challenging in everyday general practice.
A more structured approach using clinical data could help practices identify patients who may otherwise be missed.
The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s MedicineInsight program provides participating practices with access to their own clinical data. This can help identify patterns in testing, diagnosis and management and support quality improvement.
The recently released GP Snapshot: CKD Detection and Diagnosis found that fewer than 25% of patients with one or more CKD risk factors had received all three components of a kidney health check.
The upcoming MedicineInsight Practice Report is expected to provide participating practices with more detailed information about their own data.
A CPD-accredited guide is also available to help practices use the information for reflection and quality improvement.
The aim is not to create a single approach for every practice. Instead, practice data can help clinicians ask important questions:
Are the right patients being tested?
Are opportunities for earlier diagnosis being missed?
Are some patient groups being overlooked?
Using data alongside clinical judgement may help general practices improve CKD detection and support earlier intervention.
Using Practice Data to Improve Early Detection of CKD
Source: Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care