This project is the winner of the first edition of the Data for Change program and was developed in partnership with the Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal (APDP).
Diabetic nephropathy is a critical condition that describes the gradual loss of kidney function, which can lead to irreversible damage to the kidneys. According to the Portuguese National Diabetes Observatory, one in three people with diabetes develops nephropathy.
Postponing or preventing this condition translates into an improvement in the quality and extension of the life expectancy of diabetic patients, also impacting the public health budget given that, as the disease progresses, the treatments become more complex and expensive, reaching dialysis or kidney transplantation. As it is a condition that evolves silently in the early stages, the first signs of diabetic nephropathy are critical to prevent or slow down the disease progression.
We analyzed historical transactional data, recorded during patient visits to APDP, which allow for a sociodemographic and clinical characterization of the diabetic population. As a result, the DSKC team developed a model to predict the likelihood of developing level three diabetic nephropathy over a three- and five-year time horizons. In addition to the probability, the tool also indicates the impact of each variable analyzed on the final result, allowing medical teams to act proactively, thus preventing the onset or progression of the disease.
The project finished in 2021.
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In July 2021, the project was recognized with first place in the Data4Good category of the SAS Curiosity Data Science Iberian Awards.
Partners: APDP (Associação Protectora dos Diabéticos de Portugal), ”la Caixa” Foundation and BPI (Social Equity Initiative).