Attitudes and practices of Chinese physicians regarding chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury management: a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey in secondary and tertiary hospitals

OBJECTIVE: This questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey reported the attitudes and practices of Chinese doctors regarding chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) management. METHODS: An online questionnaire consisting of general information, awareness of CKD and AKI, education status, renal laboratory items, and clinical practices between February 20, 2017 and August 15, 2017. RESULTS: Among the 1289 respondents from secondary and tertiary hospitals in 30 provinces, 718 (55.7%) were nephrologists, 94.3% had the ability to evaluate glomerular filtration rates, and 98.8% could evaluate urinary protein excretion, indicating that Chinese doctors met the minimum requirements to manage CKD. However, nearly half of all respondents reported that easy methods for spot urine creatinine-adjusted urinary protein assessments were unavailable. Awareness of the CKD risk stratification system and AKI definition was inadequate, and only 54.2% of respondents reported that they had received nutritional education for renal diseases. Although most of the respondents were nephrologists at university hospitals, 66.4% and 76.3% of respondents reported nephrology referrals and nephrology consultations, respectively, after AKI, suggesting an insufficient role for nephrologists. Finally, management models differed significantly, indicating that universal guidelines for CKD and AKI management are required across China. CONCLUSIONS: Several considerable challenges remain regarding CKD and AKI management in China, including inadequate knowledge and training systems, an absence of clinical protocols, and insufficient multidisciplinary cooperation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s11255-018-1882-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.