AKI Management Using Electronic Alerts

Overview

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical event with severe consequences. In the United States alone, greater than one million hospitalized patients per year are diagnosed with AKI. It has been independently associated with prolonged hospital stays, 25-80% risk of in-hospital death, and future progression to chronic kidney disease. While there has been an increase in awareness about the prevalence and significance of AKI, studies have uncovered systematic failure in the management of AKI, largely relating to the failure of clinicians to recognize and manage the condition appropriately. This is where we can use electronic health records (EHRs) and electronic alerts (e-alerts) to our advantage. In this study, the investigators plan to use e-alerts integrated into a clinical decision support (CDS) system to improve the care of and outcomes of patients with AKI. The aims are to study the prevalence of AKI and its progression among hospitalized patients using an 'AKI sniffer' (an EHR based automated system) and to prospectively study if introducing a complex intervention (an e-alert combined with a clinical decision support system) will reduce progression of AKI in children. The investigators have developed an AKI care bundle which provides simple guidelines for management of AKI along with specific discharge instructions to improve follow up care. The primary outcome is AKI progression. Secondary outcomes include morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay, need for renal replacement therapy, and recovery of renal function by time of hospital discharge. The investigators will also look at documentation of AKI and if these participants get appropriate follow up.