General practitioners’ assessment and management of chronic kidney disease in older patients- a mixed methods study

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is commonly managed in general practice, with established guidelines for diagnosis and management. CKD is more prevalent in the older population, and is associated with lifestyle diseases as well as social deprivation. Older patients also commonly experience multimorbidity. Current CKD guidelines do not take age into account, with the same diagnostic and management recommendations for patients regardless of their age. We sought to investigate general practitioners' (GPs') approach to older patients with CKD, and whether their assessment and management differed from guideline recommendations. We explored the reasons for variation from guideline recommendations.