Jenny Billings and Simon Coulton are collaborating with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) and Canterbury Christ Church University on research to improve the care of patients with acute damage to their kidney function. Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) may affect patients admitted to hospital through their illness or subsequent treatment, but may go undetected as it is diagnosed through changes in kidney blood tests.
Dr Michael Bedford at EKHUFT is leading the £250,000 project funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme across all three East Kent hospitals. The aim is to develop a technological system to identify patients admitted to hospital at risk of developing AKI, or with existing AKI that’s likely to deteriorate, and alert clinicians.
New and innovative technologies will be harnessed to develop the best way of bringing AKI risk to patients to the attention of the professionals. Technology is constantly moving forward and using the study results so far, the team are developing a way of alerting professionals via smartphone. Doctors and nurses can then intervene to treat AKI and dramatically reduce the risk of health complications or death.
In summer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new clinical guidance on AKI. NICE reported that at least 12,000 lives and £12 million could be saved in the NHS in England if this guidance was followed.
For more information contact: Jenny Billings: j.r.billings@kent.ac.uk
Professor Simon Coulton: S.Coulton@kent.ac.uk