Reporting of the estimated glomerular filtration rate decreased creatinine clearance testing

The Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines suggest that clinicians use the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) measurements and minimize the use of timed urine creatinine clearance collection. The intent of this change was to improve recognition of chronic kidney disease. Here we used time-series modeling and intervention analyses to determine the effect of publication of the K/DOQI guidelines and the introduction of widespread eGFR reporting with prompts on physician ordering of 24-h urine collection for creatinine clearance. In this setting, clinical practice guidelines did not influence creatinine clearance testing; however, the direct introduction of eGFR reporting with prompts into physician workflow resulted in a sudden and significant 23.5% decrease in creatinine clearance collection over the 43 months analyzed. Thus, eGFR reporting with prompts may have produced a clinical practice change because it is integrated directly into physician workflow. Changing physician practice patterns may require more than publishing guidelines; rather it is more likely to occur through educational and structural changes to practice.