This guideline intends to support clinical decision making byany health care professional caring for patients withdiabetes and CKD stage 3b or higher (eGFR <45 mL/min), i.e. for general practitioners, internists, surgeons and other physicians dealing with this specific patient population in both an out-

patient and an in-hospital setting. The guideline also aims to inform about the development of standards of care by policy-makers.

The intended scope of the guideline was determined at the first meeting held in Brussels in May 2011 with a steering group assembled for this purpose by the ERBP advisory board. This steering group defined a set of healthcare questions related to the management of patients with diabetes and CKD stage 3b or higher (eGFR <45 mL/min) 3b–5. An electronic survey was taken among all members of European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association to prioritize these questions。