Understanding the management of early-stage chronic kidney disease in primary care: a qualitative study

摘要

Primary care is increasingly important in identifying and managing people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Recommendations focus on reducing the frequency of cardiovascular events and progression to established renal failure. Approximately 5-6% of the population has stage 3 to stage 5 CKD, with a higher prevalence in older people and socially-deprived communities. There is evidence that a large proportion of people with CKD are undiagnosed and that management is suboptimal. Changing professional behaviour is recognised as difficult and addressing the implementation gap requires an understanding of the reasons for resistance to change, and the facilitators of change.