A pilot study to investigate the incidence of patients that have both cardiovascular disease and albuminuria who present to the Launceston General Hospital Emergency Department ($1,760)
Over 4000 patients visit the Accident and Emergency Department at the Launceston General Hospital each month.
This project takes advantage of this useful cross section of the community for a cost effective, short, sharp study.
This project has two areas of significance. Firstly it will help determine whether screening for protein in urine is a cost effective way to detect renal disease and help prevent end-stage renal disease. It will also provide useful information relating to the follow -up of Emergency Department patients by community doctors. This information will be useful to Renal Physicians, Tasmanian General Practitioners and patients, and Emergency department staff. It may lead to mass-screening of the Australian population for early detection of kidney disease.
This project will be conducted at the Launceston General Hospital and will encourage Tasmanian patients to have a screening test for kidney disease.
If the test is positive the project will encourage patients to follow up with their GPs for further investigation for kidney disease risk factors i.e. it is the researchers’ aim to help prevent end-stage renal disease in Tasmanian people.
Tasmania's Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust was established in 1991.