Diagnostic performance of a point-of-care saliva urea nitrogen dipstick to screen for kidney disease in low-resource settings where serum creatinine is unavailable.

Background: Kidney disease is prevalent in low-resource settings worldwide, but tests for its diagnosis are often unavailable. The saliva urea nitrogen (SUN) dipstick is a laboratory and electricity independent tool, which may be used for the detection of kidney disease. We investigated the feasibility and performance of its use in diagnosing kidney disease in community settings in Africa.

Diagnostic Performance of a Saliva Urea Nitrogen Dipstick to Detect Kidney Disease in Malawi.

Introduction: Kidney disease (KD), including acute kidney injury, is common, severe and leads to significant mortality in the developing world. However, simple tools to facilitate diagnosis and guide treatment are lacking. We studied the diagnostic performance of saliva urea nitrogen (SUN) measured by dipstick to diagnose KD in a low-resource setting.

Incidence, aetiology and outcome of community-acquired acute kidney injury in medical admissions in Malawi.

Background: Epidemiological data on Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) from low-income countries is sparse. The aim of this study was to establish the incidence, severity, aetiology, and outcomes of community-acquired AKI in Malawi.

Methods: We conducted a prospective observational study of general medical admissions to a tertiary hospital in Blantyre between 27 April and 17 July 2015.

A nurse-led intervention improves detection and management of AKI in Malawi.

Background: Acute kidney injury is common and has significant impact on mortality and morbidity. There is a global drive to improve the lack of knowledge and understanding surrounding the recognition, diagnosis and management of patients with AKI in resource poor healthcare systems.

Objectives: We propose a nurse-led education programme to medical and nursing staff of the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi, will improve the overall care and understanding of patients with AKI that will still be effective 3 months later.