Renal Health Program: Improving Kidney Care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities

The Challenge

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects many Australians, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, especially in remote areas, bear the greatest burden. CKD often occurs earlier, progresses faster, and leads to poorer outcomes. People are more likely to present late for dialysis, less likely to receive a transplant, and die younger than non-Indigenous Australians. Limited dialysis services in remote communities amplify the impact on families and communities.
CKD is closely linked to other chronic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. To reduce this burden, we must understand what drives disease progression and identify acceptable, effective models of care.

Our Approach

The Renal Health Program within the Wellbeing and Preventable Chronic Diseases Division focuses on evidence translation and innovative strategies to improve service delivery and inform policy. We work in partnership with government and non-government health services to strengthen health systems and improve the patient journey.

• Knowledge translation – increasing the rate of implementation of research evidence
• Identifying evidence practice gaps so that they can be understood and addressed
• Digital health innovation through strong cross organisation partnerships and the ongoing development of Territory Kidney Care (TKC)
• Clinical research to ensure patient care is appropriate for the NT population
• Meaningful consumer engagement to support consumers role in research and service evaluation

Our multidisciplinary team includes researchers, statisticians, software developers, nurses, and First Nations consumer engagement officers.

Research Focus

• Discover better ways to diagnose, treat, and prevent chronic disease.
• Improve systems and processes to support patients across the care continuum.
• Translate research findings into policy and practice.

Impact

• Identified cost-effective, culturally acceptable CKD management strategies.
• Developed an innovative integrated clinical decision support system for chronic disease identification and management.
• Supported patient voice in care design, including determining value for money of service models, advocating for greater access to remote models and better understanding of health data usage.

Our Vision

Equitable access to kidney care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people—through systems that are responsive, culturally safe, and informed by lived experience.