From Onset to Outcome: Acute Kidney Injury Insights for Healthcare Professionals
Target Audience: Pharmacist, Pharmacy Tech, Physician Assistant, Physician
Course Overview
Acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a dynamic clinical syndrome characterized by an abrupt decline in kidney function that leads to the accumulation of metabolic waste products and disturbances in fluid, electrolyte, and acid-base balance. Affecting hospitalized and outpatient populations, AKI is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and increased risk of chronic kidney disease progression. The Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) AKI guidelines provide recommendations for staging, early identification, and management. The guidelines also focus on preventing contrast-induced nephropathy, mitigating medication-related injury, and optimizing transitions of care. This interprofessional continuing education activity emphasizes early recognition of AKI, elimination of precipitating factors such as nephrotoxins and hypotension, and evidence-based management strategies, including appropriate fluid resuscitation, diuretic use, and correction of electrolyte or acid-base disturbances. Learners will explore best practices for triaging patients, determining referral or emergency indications for kidney replacement therapy, and ensuring coordinated outpatient follow-up. Participants will enhance their ability to identify at-risk patients, manage AKI complications, and support recovery through effective teamwork among healthcare clinicians.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this educational activity, participants should be able to:
- Recall the diagnostic and staging criteria for AKI based on KDIGO guidelines
- Compare and contrast strategies for the prevention of medication-induced nephrotoxicity
- Explain the role of fluid and hemodynamic management in AKI recovery
- Evaluate healthcare team member contributions to AKI management
Faculty
Maintenance of Certification (MOC): Continuing Certification is offered for the American Board of Internal Medicine® (ABIM) and the American Board of Pediatrics® (ABP).
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 2.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component and post-test, qualifies for MOC points with the following boards:
American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM)
- Critical Care
- Endocrinology
- Geriatrics & Palliative Care
- Hospital Medicine
- Internal Medicine
- Introduction
- AKI Overview
- KDIGO Diagnostic Criteria
- RIFLE Staging Criteria
- AKIN Staging Criteria
- Comparing Criteria
- Epidemiology
- Etiology and Risk Factors
- Prerenal AKI
- Intrarenal AKI
- Postrenal AKI
- Nephrotoxic Medications
- Clinical Presentation and Diagnosis
- History and Exam
- Labs and Tests
- New Biomarkers
- Preventing AKI
- Managing AKI
- Goals
- Medication Management
- Diuretics
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Patient Education
- Key Takeaways
- Summary
- Disclosures
From January 26, 2026 through January 26, 2029, participants must:
- Read the "learning objectives" and "author and planning team disclosures"
- Study the section entitled "educational activity"
- Complete the Course Test and Evaluation form. The Course Test will be graded automatically. Following successful completion of the Course Test with a score of 70% or higher, a statement of participation will be made available immediately. (No partial credit will be given.)
Credit for this course will be automatically uploaded to JA_PARS.
Faculty Planner Disclosure
The following individuals were involved in the development of this activity: Austin Fredrickson, MD, FACP; Liz Fredrickson, PharmD, BCPS; and Pamela M. Sardo, PharmD, BS. None of the individuals involved in developing this activity has a conflict of interest or financial relationships regarding the subject matter. There are no financial relationships or commercial or financial support relevant to this activity to report or disclose by RxCe.com or any of the individuals involved in the development of this activity.
Unlabeled Use Disclosure
The information provided in this course is general in nature, and it is designed solely to provide participants with continuing education credit(s). This course and materials are not meant to substitute for the independent, professional judgment of any participant regarding that participant's professional practice, including but not limited to patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and/or health management. Medical and pharmacy practices, rules, and laws vary from state to state, and this course does not cover the laws of each state; therefore, participants must consult the laws of their state as they relate to their professional practice. Healthcare professionals must consult their employer, healthcare facility, hospital, or other organization for guidelines, protocols, and procedures to follow. The information provided in this course does not replace those guidelines, protocols, and procedures, but is for academic purposes only, and this course's limited purpose is for the completion of continuing education credits. Participants are advised and acknowledge that information related to medications, their administration, dosing, contraindications, adverse reactions, interactions, warnings, precautions, or accepted uses is constantly changing. Any person taking this course understands that such a person must make an independent review of medication information before any patient assessment, diagnosis, treatment and/or health management. Any discussion of off-label use of any medication, device, or procedure is informational only, and such uses are not endorsed hereby. Nothing contained in this course represents the opinions, views, judgments, or conclusions of RxCe.com LLC. RxCe.com LLC is not liable or responsible to any person for any inaccuracy, error, or omission with respect to this course or course material.
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- Operating System: Windows 7, 8, 10, or 11 / Mac OS X 10.9 or later / iOS / Android
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- A connection to the internet
Accreditation
In support of improving patient care, RxCE.com is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.