During a system upgrade from Friday, Dec. 5, through Sunday, Dec. 7, the AAFP website, on-demand courses and CME purchases will be unavailable.
New Academy CKD tools aid early detection, diagnosis and beyond
Aug. 20, 2025, News Staff — Family physicians, who already manage the majority of U.S. patients with chronic conditions, now face added complexity: an increasing number of patients who not only have more than one chronic condition but have or will develop chronic kidney disease (CKD). More challenging still, about 90% of people with CKD don’t know they have this complex chronic disease.
One-stop CKD help
New AAFP resources on a dedicated CKD page help members and their patients meet the problem with the latest CKD guidance, including practical, evidence-based tools for early detection, diagnosis, intervention and shared decision-making. The page has fact sheets on
treating patients with both CKD and diabetes;
treating patients with CKD who are taking antihypertensive medications; and
best practices for collaborating with other physicians and health care professionals (nephrologists, nutritionists and pharmacists among them) to improve patient outcomes.
Increasing patient awareness about CKD
Linked from the “Patient Care and Advice” section of the CKD page is “Caring for Patients With CKD: Make Every Visit Count,” a new AAFP supplement. It details related intervention and treatment options to prevent CKD from progressing to end-state kidney disease (ESKD).
“The total number of U.S. patients who have ESKD and need kidney replacement therapy is increasing and could surpass 1 million by 2030,” the supplement notes. But family physicians briefed on CKD can help slow that trend, the authors add: “With timely interventions, most patients can avoid serious complications and will not require kidney replacement therapy (KRT), which is also known as renal replacement therapy.”
The same section also provides
a tool to empower CKD patients, with a self-management checklist and a progress tracking chart and
a conversation guide to prepare patients who may need KRT.
CKD education for patients
Updated FamilyDoctor.org information featured on the new CKD page includes a CKD overview (symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, questions to ask physicians and more), nutrition guidance and “at a glance” PDFs illustrating
how to protect against kidney disease,
replacement treatments and
how to prepare for a CKD-related doctor’s appointment and talk with the physician about kidney health.
Inside Family Medicine podcast: CKD insights for Family Physicians
Jay Shubrook, DO, FAAFP, FACOFP, and Kaitlyn Laue of the National Kidney Foundation discuss the importance of early CKD screening, advancements in treatment and how family physicians can collaborate with other clinicians to improve patient outcomes.