Ensuring Quality of Care through Monitoring of Continuous Renal Replacement Therapies.

Abstract

The continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has offered life-saving treatment for kidney failure. Technological advances coupled with findings from clinical trials have allowed for refinements both in the therapy and in the way it is applied to patients. However, outcomes for patients requiring CRRT remain suboptimal. The use of information technology coupled with structured quality improvement programs offers a methodology for studying the delivery of CRRT with an eye toward improving outcomes. Furthermore, integration of information from the CRRT treatment can be combined with real-time data from other patient-monitoring sources to create "feedback" loops where more timely changes in the CRRT prescription can occur. It is hoped that these advances may lead to further improvements in patient outcomes.