Integrated virtual medical consultations versus traditional clinic care in a public and a private outpatient service.

Objectives: The iConnect Care programme provided integrated 'virtual care' (VC) for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. VC is an alternative to outpatient care which expedites time to specialists' opinions and is safe. Comparing different outpatient care models is important to understand the role of telehealth and integrated care, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.

iConnect CKD - virtual medical consulting: A web-based chronic kidney disease, hypertension and diabetes integrated care program.

Aims: Chronic kidney disease patients overwhelm specialist services and can potentially be managed in the primary care (PC). Opportunistic screening of high risk (HR) patients and follow-up in PC is the most sustainable model of care. A 'virtual consultation' (VC) model instead of traditional face to face (F2F) consultations was used, aiming to assess efficacy and safety of the model.

Improving nephrology service delivery - Accessing the specialist.

Background: The increased prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is straining the medical workforce and healthcare budget. To improve efficiency, patients require streamlined access to renal and general practice specialist advice.

Objective: The aim of this article is to profile general practitioner (GP) referrals for patients with CKD and compare these referrals to national guidelines.

Alignment of nephrology training with workforce, patient, and educational needs: an evidence based proposal.

Background And Objectives: Competency-based training programs focus on the product of training rather than the process with the desired attributes and skills set of the specialist directing the training program. These ideal skills and qualities have yet to be formally identified for nephrology training. The objectives of our study were: (1) to define the attributes of a "high quality" nephrologist from the perspectives of the trainer (nephrologist), trainee, and renal patient and (2) identify components and relative frequencies of nephrologists' work practice.

Nephrology: a specialty in need of resuscitation?

Nephrology trainee recruitment is essential if we are to address the shortage of nephrologists in countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia. This Australian study determines barriers, following clinical exposure, to trainees' pursuing a career in nephrology.

How to attract a nephrology trainee: quantitative questionnaire results.

Aim: Global health workforce shortages are being experienced across many specialties. Australia faces a nephrology workforce shortage coupled with increased demand for nephrology services. This study examines issues impacting on the choice of nephrology as a career and identifies factors that can be modified to improve trainee recruitment.

Can spot urine protein/creatinine ratio replace 24 h urine protein in usual clinical nephrology?

Background: This prospective study was designed to assess whether a single urine specimen, collected at the time of clinical assessment, could be used to estimate 24 h urinary protein excretion.

Methods: The spot urinary protein/creatinine ratio (P/Cr) and 24 h urine protein and creatinine excretion were determined from 103 patients attending a nephrology clinic. Using the spot urine P/Cr, a regression equation was derived, predicting 24 h protein excretion.