ArticleClinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN2026
Characteristics of Veterans with CKD Using a Telenephrology Program in the Veterans Health Administration.
Article in Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
key pointsWe examined clinical characteristics of Veterans receiving telenephrology care. Telenephrology was associated with higher prescription rates of guideline directed therapies and longer survival in Veterans with CKD. Adjusting for telenephrology visits and other clinical factors, rurality and heart disease were associated with an increased risk of mortality.
backgroundVeterans with CKD residing near lower complexity Veterans Health Administration facilities are often managed by primary providers. To improve access to nephrology for rural Veterans, we established a hub-and-spoke network that used telemedicine to connect nephrologists to Veterans at Veterans Affairs facilities lacking nephrology services (spokes).
methodsVeterans with CKD, refractory hypertension, and electrolyte disorders cared for at spoke sites were defined as eligible. Patients requiring dialysis or hospital management were excluded. We compared demographics, clinical characteristics, prescription rates, and mortality of the Veterans cared for by telenephrologists (Telenephrology+) with those cared for by primary providers (Telenephrology-).
resultsThe Telenephrology+ group consisted of 2147 eligible Veterans who had telenephrology visit(s) during the study period (2021-2024). The Telenephrology- control group consisted of 9678 telenephrology eligible Veterans who were managed by primary providers. At baseline, Telenephrology+ Veterans were younger (69±12 versus 74±10 years; P < 0.001) but had more advanced CKD (eGFR 47±21 versus 55±16 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 , P < 0.001) than Telenephrology- Veterans. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease were common in both groups. During the course of the study, more of the patients in the Telenephrology+ group were started on guideline directed therapies ( P < 0.001). Survival analysis showed that the Telenephrology+ group had a significantly lower mortality compared to the Telenephrology- group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.62; confidence interval [CI], 0.55 to 0.71; P < 0.001). Mortality in the Telenephrology+ Veterans remained lower (HR, 0.85; CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.02) after adjustment for confounders and medication use. In addition to telenephrology visits, major factors influencing mortality were rurality (HR, 1.52; CI, 1.39 to 1.67; P < 0.001), heart disease (HR, 1.95; CI, 1.76 to 2.17; P < 0.001), and prescription of sodium glucose transporter 2 inhibitors during the study period (HR, 0.50; CI, 0.44 to 0.57; P < 0.001).
conclusionsTelenephrology was associated with higher prescription rates of guideline directed therapies and longer survival in Veterans with CKD.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.