Referring patients with chronic kidney disease back to primary care: a criteria-based analysis in outpatient renal clinics.

Background: The increased demand for nephrology care for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) necessitates a critical review of the need for secondary care facilities and the possibilities for referral back to primary care. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics and numbers of patients who could potentially be referred back to primary care, using predefined criteria developed by nephrologists and general practitioners.

Method: We organised a consensus meeting with eight nephrologists and two general practitioners to define the back referral (BR) criteria, and performed a retrospective cohort study reviewing records from patients under nephrologist care in three hospitals.