ObjectiveTo explore the application and effect of clinical nursing pathway based on information-knowledge-attitude-practice (IKPA) theory in percutaneous renal needle biopsy.MethodsThis is a historical control study. A total of 460 patients who underwent percutaneous renal biopsy in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between April and December 2020 were prospectively recruited as the pathway group, and a clinical nursing pathway based on IKAP theory was implemented. By contrast, the data of 617 patients who underwent percutaneous renal biopsy and received routine care in the same hospital between April and December 2019 were retrospectively collected as the control group. The length of hospital stay, hospitalization expenses, the incidences of postoperative complications (macroscopic haematuria, perirenal hematoma, and acute urinary retention), the incidence of postoperative postural hypotension, and the management enrollment rate of chronic kidney disease patients were compared between the two groups.ResultsThe length of hospital stay [median (lower quartile, upper quartile): 8 (7, 11) vs. 8 (7, 12) d] and the hospitalization expenses [median (lower quartile, upper quartile): 7380.50 (6401.86, 8789.21) vs. 8167.00 (6816.50, 10044.50) yuan] were less in the pathway group than those in the control group, the incidences of postoperative macroscopic haematuria (1.52% vs. 6.97%) and perirenal hematoma (2.61% vs. 5.02%) were lower in the pathway group than those in the control group, the management enrollment rate of chronic kidney disease patients was higher in the pathway group than that in the control group (26.09% vs. 6.16%), and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). The differences in the incidences of acute urinary retention (8.26% vs. 11.18%) and postoperative postural hypotension (0.00% vs. 0.81%) between the two groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05).ConclusionThe application of clinical nursing pathway in percutaneous renal needle biopsy can effectively reduce the length of hospital stay and hospitalization expenses, and improve the management enrollment rate of chronic kidney disease patients.