Overview of the Alberta Kidney Disease Network.
BACKGROUND
The Alberta Kidney Disease Network is a collaborative nephrology research organization based on a central repository of laboratory and administrative data from the Canadian province of Alberta.


METHODS
The laboratory data within the Alberta Kidney Disease Network can be used to define patient populations, such as individuals with chronic kidney disease (using serum creatinine measurements to estimate kidney function) or anemia (using hemoglobin measurements). The administrative data within the Alberta Kidney Disease Network can also be used to define cohorts with common medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes. Linkage of data sources permits assessment of socio-demographic information, clinical variables including comorbidity, as well as ascertainment of relevant outcomes such as health service encounters and events, the occurrence of new specified clinical outcomes and mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
The unique ability to combine laboratory and administrative data for a large geographically defined population provides a rich data source not only for research purposes but for policy development and to guide the delivery of health care. This research model based on computerized laboratory data could serve as a prototype for the study of other chronic conditions.
Hemmelgarn
Brenda R
BR
Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. brenda.hemmelgarn@albertahealthservices.ca
Clement
Fiona
F
Manns
Braden J
BJ
Klarenbach
Scott
S
James
Matthew T
MT
Ravani
Pietro
P
Pannu
Neesh
N
Ahmed
Sofia B
SB
MacRae
Jennifer
J
Scott-Douglas
Nairne
N
Jindal
Kailash
K
Quinn
Robert
R
Culleton
Bruce F
BF
Wiebe
Natasha
N
Krause
Richard
R
Thorlacius
Laurel
L
Tonelli
Marcello
M
D000416:Alberta / Q000453:epidemiology; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016208:Databases, Factual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D007677:Kidney Function Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data