EDTAKI: a nephrology and public policy committee platform call for more European involvement in AKI

A recent article, led by the Nephrology Public Policy Committee (NPPC) of the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association (ERA-EDTA), proposes a model to promote clinical collaboration on Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) in Europe. AKI is an essential element of clinical nephrology but is often neglected. The model aims to create a pan-European network of nephrologists with interest in AKI to stimulate research, improve clinical outcomes and increase nephrologist involvement outside the nephrology unit.

The authors assessed the European contribution to AKI research in comparison with other areas. The main findings are:

• The European contribution to AKI research is significantly lower compared to other regions with similar socio-economic status.
• This difference was not paralleled in other nephrology topics, such as chronic kidney disease.
• There is a flagrant divide between the East and the West in terms of scientific output, which reflects different economic statuses.
• Less than 50% of contributions to European AKI publications come from nephrology.
• There has been no change in European activity during the past ten years.

The EDTAKI network aims to tackle these challenges by prompting interest in AKI and developing joint research projects.

Read the full paper here.