Prevalence refers to the presence of a health-related condition (e.g., CKD) in a particular population at a specific point in time (point prevalence) or, less frequently, during a specific period (period prevalence); it may be expressed as a count (number of prevalent cases) or as the proportion of cases in the population (prevalence of the condition).

Assessment of the processes of care and practice patterns related to the detection and management of CKD is an integral part of a national CKD surveillance system. Tracking the processes of care related to CKD could be instrumental in facilitating the implementation of early diagnostic steps and institution of appropriate therapies to either prevent the development of disease or slow progression of established disease. Examination of administrative health care data is a cost-efficient method for tracking processes of care in the practice setting.