The document evaluates the Think Kidneys program aimed at improving care for acute kidney injury (AKI) through collaboration, education, and quality improvement. It highlights the need for clear data flows, clinicians' education, and key elements like discharge summaries to enhance patient safety. The program has established a framework for action that promotes systemic improvements in AKI management across various healthcare settings.

1. Evaluating the Think Kidneys
Programme
Dr Richard Fluck
richard.fluck@nhs.net,
Chair, Think Kidney

2. | 2
An ‘intermediate’ health state
Associated with other serious illness
Important marker of illness severity
“Force multiplier” for poor outcomes
but …….
Potential to improve care
Reduce avoidable harm - death and
morbidity
Reduce cost
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3. Our shared purpose: reduce harm related to AKI
Support commissioners and organisational leads in
driving and championing the need to improve acute
kidney injury care.
Provide clinicians and patients with the education,
information and access to and about acute kidney
injury to inform individual care
Establish the data flows to allow successful audit
and quality improvement
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4. Building the programme: collaboration
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5. Support commissioners and organisational leads in driving
and championing the need to improve acute kidney injury
care.
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6. AKI and Patient Safety Alerts
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7. AKI CQUIN driving improvements
CQUIN Elements: discharge
summary items on AKI
• Stage of AKI; (a key aspect of
AKI diagnosis)
• Evidence of medicines review
having been undertaken (a key
aspect of AKI treatment)
• Type of blood tests required
on discharge for monitoring (a
key aspect of post discharge
care)
• Frequency of blood tests
required on discharge for
monitoring (a key aspect of
post discharge care)
Data from > 29000 case notes in 2015/16
Proportion of Completed key items assessed in AKI
patients’ discharge summaries by region
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8. Provide clinicians and patients with the education,
information and access to and about acute kidney injury to
inform individual care
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9. Educating and guiding
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10. Managing risk – people and place
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11. Detect Alert
Improving care for the individual
Respond
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12. Collaborating and sharing
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13. Establish the data flows to allow successful audit and
quality improvement
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14. ‘AKI warning
stage’
Patient
management
system
Alert Response
Local systems
Message
Master
patient
index
Other data
systems
AKI
Registry
Regional
National
Research
QI
System Measurement
14

15. Data flows and outputs
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16. System improvement Enhancing the
capability and
capacity of the
NHS to improve
safetyPatient Safety
Collaboratives
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17. A focused effort across all care settings
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18. Evaluation
Think Kidneys
Has delivered system
levers and leadership
Providing a framework
for action
Delivered data flows
ready to support
improvement
It is sustainable –
funded, resource for all
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19. Evaluation report 2017
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20. The chairs, co-chairs and
teams of all the workstreams
in ‘Think Kidneys’
Joan Russell
Head of Patient Safety
NHS England
joan.russell@nhs.net
Ron Cullen
Director
UK Renal Registry
Ron.Cullen@renalregistry.nhs.uk
Karen Thomas
Think Kidneys Programme Manager
UK Renal Registry
Karen.Thomas@renalregistry.nhs.uk
www.linkedin.com/company/think-
kidneys
www.twitter.com/ThinkKidneys
www.facebook.com/thinkkidneys
www.youtube.com/user/thinkkidneys
www.slideshare.net/ThinkKidneys
www.thinkkidneys.nhs.uk
Acknowledgements
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