An interprofessional team that includes a nurse practitioner and patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Abstract

Diabetes is the leading cause of chronic kidney disease (CKD). The clinical practice guidelines of the Canadian Diabetes Association were updated in 2013. We sought to identify the level of adherence to the CDA guidelines of an interprofessional team in a pre-dialysis clinic that includes a nurse practitioner, and examine how team members integrated the guidelines and optimized each provider’s role. A mixed methods study was undertaken. Chart audits (n= 146) identified 10 patients who met the inclusion criteria. The level of adherence to the CDA guidelines was high for several indicators; yet a number of care activities were not well documented in the health record. Interviews (n= 7) with interprofessional team members identified specific strategies used by providers to incorporate the guidelines and optimize each team members’s role. Accurate documentation of care activities is essential to assessing adherence to guidelines and informing decisions about care.