Fighting Kidney Disease through Point of Care Testing
Millions of tests run through the Relaymed platform to the EHR every year, and among them are both routine and…
Millions of tests run through the Relaymed platform to the EHR every year, and among them are both routine and crucial diagnostic tests.
In 2023, the most common test our customers ran across 2023 were respiratory tests, followed by urine and blood panels, three vital areas for regular monitoring. To learn more about our testing trends, explore our 2024 Insights report.
March in the United States is Kidney Action Month, an opportunity to raise awareness and encourage meaningful action. Kidney disease is a highly prevalent health issue, impacting 1 in 7 Americans (1), with millions more at risk. 9 out of 10 people with kidney disease are unaware they have it (2) , signifying the existence of a diagnostic issue or delay. This March, we wanted to take the opportunity to talk more about kidney related disease and how to ensure it is detected early and accurately.
How to detect and treat Kidney Disease
Urinalysis and Arterial Blood Gas Tests (ABG) are two of the most common test types used to detect early warning signs and diagnosis of kidney disease and also two of the most common tests run through the Relaymed platform to EHR’s in 2023.
An ABG test can help diagnose and monitor the treatment impacts of conditions affecting your lungs and kidneys. Urinalysis helps to provide crucial Kidney related information like measuring kidney function, discovering which stage of kidney disease the patient is in and keep track of health problems that can cause kidney disease, such as diabetes. These tests play a crucial role in detecting kidney disease and helping to inform treatment.
Kidney Disease Diagnostic Issues
A delay in diagnosis or misdiagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease (CDK) is a serious concern and can lead to major health complications.
Investigators of the iCaReMe Global Registry* discovered that one of the key obstacles to providing adequate care for CDK was poor screening and under-diagnosis of patients. In order to slow the development of CDK and minimize cardiovascular risk, treatment should be initiated in early stages (3).
In order to safeguard the vital health and wellbeing of patients, it is essential that physicians can provide quick and efficient point of care testing to streamline test to diagnosis and quickly implement treatment plans, with minimal delays.
How to streamline your diagnostic processes
Does your practice run point of care testing (POC)? Outsourcing testing to reference labs creates a barrier and a delay in clinical decisions. Relaymed provides an efficient test-to-diagnosis service with no more waiting on lab turnarounds!
There are numerous benefits that come from having POC in your practice. It enables you to:
- Make clinical decisions and diagnoses with confidence
- Implement treatment plans on the spot
- Provide appropriate antibiotic prescriptions
- Schedule fewer follow-up appointments
Overall, the capability to offer your patients a full test-to-diagnosis service will improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. With no more waiting on lab turnarounds, that necessitate repeat appointments, both you and your patients will save a lot of time.
*Real-world Multinational Registry to Determine Management and Quality of Care of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Failure and/or Chronic Kidney Diseases