Improving the measurement of longitudinal change in renal function: automated detection of changes in laboratory creatinine assay.

Introduction: Renal function is reported using the estimates of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). However, eGFR values are recorded without reference to the particular serum creatinine (SCr) assays used to derive them, and newer assays were introduced at different time points across the laboratories in the United Kingdom. These changes may cause systematic bias in eGFR reported in routinely collected data, even though laboratory-reported eGFR values have a correction factor applied.

A simple clinical coding strategy to improve recording of child maltreatment concerns: an audit study.

Background: Recording concerns about child maltreatment, including minor concerns, is recommended by the General Medical Council (GMC) and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) but there is evidence of substantial under-recording.

Aim: To determine whether a simple coding strategy improved recording of maltreatment-related concerns in electronic primary care records.

Design And Setting: Clinical audit of rates of maltreatment-related coding before January 2010-December 2011 and after January-December 2012 implementation of a simple coding strategy in 11 English family practices.

Serum phosphate as a risk factor for cardiovascular events in people with and without chronic kidney disease: a large community based cohort study.

Background: Serum phosphate is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events and mortality in people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), however data on the association of these outcomes with serum phosphate in the general population are scarce. We investigate this relationship in people with and without CKD in a large community-based population.

Methods: Three groups from an adult cohort of the Quality Improvement in Chronic Kidney Disease (QICKD) cluster randomised trial (ISRCTN56023731) were followed over a period of 2.