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Referral patterns in the CKD.QLD Registry: A call for revisiting the definition of late referral

Key takeaways

This looks at when people with kidney disease in Queensland, Australia first get sent to a kidney specialist. Being referred "late" is usually defined by a fixed cutoff, often three months before dialysis starts. Using registry records, the authors argue that definition is wrong and should be rethought. It is an observational look at care patterns, so it describes what happened, not what causes worse outcomes.

Who did this work

Clyson Mutatiri (The University of Queensland) · Angela Ratsch (The University of Queensland) · Matthew McGrail (The University of Queensland) · Sree Krishna Venuthurupalli (The University of Queensland) · Srinivas Kondalsamy‐Chennakesavan (The University of Queensland)

Source

Paper · OpenAlex, Kidney disease concept sweep (verified C2778653478) · 2026-08-26
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0338001