Electronic health records also have the potential to improve CKD screening and detection, he said. For example, a record query can be designed to extract variables that may impact detection or screening, including those at the patient, physician, or institutional level.
"You can also identify potential patients to be screened who don’t have eGFR or albuminuria assessment," Dr. Saab said, including the elderly and those with cardiovascular disease or obesity.
The remedy for improving current shortfalls in CKD screening and detection is likely to involve some combination of amendments to clinical encounters, community-based screening, and electronic health record queries, Dr. Saab predicted.
Dr. Saab said that he had no relevant financial disclosures.