Digital self-management app for people with Chronic Kidney Disease improves knowledge, skills, and confidence in looking after own health

Researchers from the University of Leicester have developed a web-based app to provide patients living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) information and guidance on how best to look after themselves. 

The web-based app – called My Kidneys & Me - provides those with mild to moderate CKD with tailored, interactive support on what their condition is, how to look after themselves through appropriate health and lifestyle behaviours (attending healthcare appointments, taking medication as prescribed, exercise and diet), and the ability to monitor blood pressure and symptoms, as well as a forum for support with other patients.

Around 10 per cent of the global population live with CKD which is projected to be the fifth leading cause of death worldwide by 2040. 

The condition means your kidneys are damaged and unable to filter blood the way they should, meaning the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease is greater. 

My Kidneys & Me aims to help CKD patients with mild or moderate symptoms to manage their condition and prevent further progression, easing the burden on the wider health service.

Results of an initial trial involving 420 CKD patients from 26 hospitals across England have been published in Nature Digital Medicine with positive outcomes. 

Patients were split into two groups – one of whom had access to the digital app with their uptake measured throughout and data collected on how often and how long patients used the app. Across the 20-week study period, patients used the app for approximately 2.5 hours, with some individuals using it more regularly and for extended periods of time. 

Dr Courtney Lightfoot, from the University’s Department of Population Health Sciences, who helped lead the trial alongside Professor Alice Smith and colleagues from Leicester Diabetes Centre and the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, said: “The trial showed positive effects in the number of patients who increased their knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing their own health, with greater effects seen in those with low levels of patient activation at the start of the trial. 

“Our findings show that My Kidneys & Me can improve patients’ knowledge and health behaviours around Chronic Kidney Disease, which can lead to better health outcomes and less burden on the NHS. Our aim now is to look at how we can implement and embed My Kidneys & Me into routine clinical practice. We are also revising and refining the app to increase uptake and engagement among disadvantaged and underserved groups.” 

Dr Matthew Graham-Brown, from the University’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, who is leading work on how best to implement the My Kidneys & Me app, added: “The findings of this study are really encouraging, and it is great to have an evidence-based tool that we can be used by primary and secondary care providers to support patients with kidney disease to understand and manage their disease better. It is going to be an important part of the way we move care for patients with kidney disease into our communities, so we are thrilled for what this will mean for kidney patients and their healthcare teams.”

The study was funded by the Stoneygate Trust and Leicester NIHR Biomedical Research Centre.