Kidney disease: improving global outcomes.

Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) is an independent organization with the mission to improve care and outcomes of patients with kidney disease worldwide through the development and coordination of clinical practice guidelines. KDIGO has established firm links with other organizations that have previously produced clinical practice guidelines in the field of kidney disease. The first three KDIGO guidelines--treatment of hepatitis C, management of bone and mineral disease, and care of kidney transplant recipients--have been finalized and the next three--acute kidney injury, management of glomerulonephritis, and management of blood pressure in chronic kidney disease--are under development. The ultimate goal is to cover most major aspects of care for patients with kidney disease. Corner stones of KDIGO's guideline development process are independent, multidisciplinary, international work groups, close collaboration with professional methodology experts who perform systematic evidence reviews, and open public review of each guideline. Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology is applied for grading the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations. International conferences organized by KDIGO support the coordination of guideline development, assess the suitability of guideline topics and help to establish global consensus on definitions and policies.