Acute Kidney Injury and mortality prognosis in Acute Coronary Syndrome patients: A meta-analysis.

Aim: The aim of this study is to provide a robust estimate of mortality risk in acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) to inform clinical practice and policy.

Methods: A meta-analysis of cohort studies evaluating outcomes of ACS and which reported AKI and AKI-associated mortality. Studies were excluded if they incorporated patients not admitted through the emergency department (i.

Pre-dialysis hospital use and late referrals in incident dialysis patients in England: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Timely referral to specialist kidney care can improve outcomes for patients and delay the onset of dialysis, yet late referral (LR) remains a problem in many countries. We aimed to estimate the proportion of LRs that could potentially have been detected earlier because of increases in patients' general hospital activity.

Methods: A cohort of patients starting dialysis in the English NHS (National Health Service) during 2010/11 was approximated using hospital administrative data.

Classifying emergency 30-day readmissions in England using routine hospital data 2004-2010: what is the scope for reduction?

Background: Many health systems across the globe have introduced arrangements to deny payment for patients readmitted to hospital as an emergency. The purpose of this study was to develop an exploratory categorisation based on likely causes of readmission, and then to assess the prevalence of these different types.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of 82 million routinely collected National Health Service hospital records in England (2004-2010) was undertaken using anonymised linkage of records at person-level.

Integrated care pilot in north-west London: a mixed methods evaluation.

Introduction: This paper provides the results of a year-long evaluation of a large-scale integrated care pilot in north-west London. The pilot aimed to integrate care across primary, acute, community, mental health and social care for people with diabetes and/or those aged 75+ through care planning, multidisciplinary case reviews, information sharing and project management support.

Methods: The evaluation team conducted qualitative studies of change at organisational, clinician and patient levels (using interviews, focus groups and a survey); and quantitative analysis of change in service use and patient-level clinical outcomes (using patient-level datasets and a matched control study).