Abstract
BACKGROUND: Notice to the importance of BK virus infection in kidney transplant patients, the present study aimed to present a protocol related to design aspects and implement a registration system for kidney transplant patients with BK virus infection in Isfahan Province, Iran. METHOD: The design process and different aspects of implementation and preparation of the platform for the registration of kidney transplant patients with BK virus infection were presented in this study. Indices related to the diagnosis, monitoring of the course of the disease, and the most important criteria related to the disease caused by BK virus and treatment of BK virus infection in kidney transplant patients were searched in reliable scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Up-To-Date, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. A team consisting of experts in nephrology, biostatistics, and epidemiology evaluated the specified variables as an expert panel and evaluated the content validity of the checklists designed quantitatively and qualitatively to finalize them. RESULTS: The checklist was finalized in three sections: 1) demographic variables (age, gender, education,…), 2) clinical variables (primary cause of kidney failure, disease history, history of kidney disease in the family, laboratory and diagnostic parameters, clinical manifestations…), and 3) microbiologic information of BK virus infection. This information can be used for the diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: Our registry for kidney transplant patients with BK virus infection among the few ones in the world can provide a comprehensive valuable information collection about the risk factors and the course of changes in various indices in these patients and may improve the treatment process.