Renal Safety Facts and Resources
Did you know…?
According to Kidney Care UK there are currently over 68,000 patients in the UK being treated for kidney failure, otherwise known as Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Uncontrolled diabetes and high blood pressure are the biggest causes of CKD.
CKD is more prevalent in:[5]
Women
The Elderly
Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus
Individuals with Hypertension
AKI affects 1 in 5 people admitted to hospital as an emergency and may be more deadly than a heart attack.[6]
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a sudden drop in kidney function, often as a complication of another serious illness. In the UK around 100,000 deaths each year are associated with AKI. That’s equivalent to ten people every hour. Research shows that 30% of these could be prevented with the right care and treatment.
A UK study of 80 General Practices found that the prescribing of drugs outside recommendations for use in patients with reduced kidney function was widespread for the drugs reviewed. The dose that was prescribed was too high for kidney function in up to 40% of patients older than 65% and up to 80% of those over 85, increasing the risk of Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs).
According to the MHRA’s Yellow Card, a site for reporting the suspected side effects or reactions to medications, studies have found that adverse drug reactions are the cause of 1 in 16 hospital admissions, and occur in 10-20% of patients already in the hospital. One study revealed that over 2% of patients admitted to hospital as a result of an adverse drug reaction died.
The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) found that only 50% of the patients who died from AKI had received ‘good’ care prior to their deaths.