Improving clinical outcomes in acute kidney injury through education

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) is caused by a sudden decline in kidney function, which may be caused by numerous pathologies such as hypovolaemia or septicaemia. It has only recently been recognised that patients who develop AKI have significantly worse outcomes. The aim of this project was to develop, deploy, and evaluate a multifaceted education package aimed at improving clinician knowledge on AKI in a real life postgraduate clinical setting. We developed a web based learning resource on AKI that was recognised for its ease of use and quality in the 2013 BMJ Awards. In addition, specific AKI teaching sessions were developed, based on sound educational theory and delivered using interactive presentation software, which helped to increase audience engagement. Our findings show that it is possible for a multifaceted educational intervention to have a positive impact on clinicians’ self-reported confidence in managing AKI; as well as a trend towards better performance in knowledge based multiple choice questions. There was also a trend towards improved clinical outcomes including reduced mortality and shorter length of stay, though the significance of these findings is not clear. This thesis demonstrates the need for us to develop a better understanding about AKI prognosis, especially in the community setting. The trends shown in the mortality and length of stay data could be a consequence of factors that are currently poorly understood. The results also showed that despite increasing presence of technology in our lives, clinicians still prefer learning when it is delivered in a face-to-face setting. Much more work needs to be done in this area, so that we can better understand how to develop future postgraduate education tools that are effective and sustainable in a real world clinical setting.