03 November 2003
Lost to follow-up: the bottleneck of early referral to renal units?
Giorgina Barbara Piccoli, Giorgio Soragna, Elisabetta Mezza, Stefania Putaggio, Daria Motta, Massimo Gai, Patrizia Anania, Fabrizio Fop, Francesca Bermond, Manuel Burdese, Silvia Vaggione, Bernardo Malfi, Alberto Jeantet, Giuseppe PiccoliMed Sci Monit 2003; 9(11): CR493-499 :: ID: 13376
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Early referral is a major goal in chronic kidney diseases; however, loss to follow-up, potentially limiting its advantages, has never been studied. MATERIAL/METHODS: In order to assess the prevalence and causes of loss to follow-up, a telephone inquiry was performed in a renal outpatient unit, mainly dedicated to early referral of diabetic patients. Patients were considered to be in follow-up if there was at least one check-up in the period February 2001-February 2002, and lost to follow-up if the last check-up had occurred in the previous year. The reasons for loss to follow-up were related to typical clinical-biochemical parameters to define a "drop-out profile". RESULTS: 195 patients were on follow-up: median creatinine 1.4 mg/dL, age 64, 76.9% diabetics. 81 patients were lost to follow-up: creatinine 1.4 mg/dL, age 70, 73.8% diabetics. A telephone number was available in 87.6% of the cases; 25 were not found, 7 had died, 24 were non-compliant, 1 was bed-ridden, 12 had changed care unit, 2 had started dialysis. Renal care was shorter in those lost to follow-up; among the latter, serum creatinine and age were significantly lower in non-compliant patients. A logistic regression model confirmed the significance of lower serum creatinine at last check-up in non-compliant patients (p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Loss to follow-up is a problem in nephrology; lack of awareness probably causes the higher drop-out rate at lower creatinine levels. The initial period of care may be crucial for long-term compliance. Further studies are needed to tailor organizational and educational interventions.
Keywords: Kidney Diseases - diagnosis
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