A clinical trial that followed nearly 1,000 people using a new home test for chronic kidney disease (CKD) shows a high percentage of the participants were happy with the process and preferred it to getting tested in a doctor’s office.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Geisinger and Healthy.io evaluated smartphone home testing for CKD. Patients with hypertension – a major risk factor for CKD – that had not been tested in the previous 12 months were given the option of using a smartphone urinalysis test at home and the results were impressive.
Of the participants that received a kit, 71 percent adhered to testing, 98 percent of patients who attempted a home test succeeded, and 89 percent stated they prefer home testing over testing at the physician’s office. Among patients who completed home testing mean score for whether they would recommend home urine testing to a friend or colleague was 8.9/10 (i.e. Net Promoter Score of 62).
Despite current guidelines that recommend CKD testing yearly for adults with diabetes and/or hypertension, less than 10 percent of those with hypertension and less than 40 percent of those with diabetes are currently completely assessed.
About 30 million American adults are affected by CKD, but nearly 90 percent don’t know they have this life-threatening illness. Early intervention can slow the progression of the disease, which can be deadly if not caught in its early stages.
The investigators concluded that the use of the mailed, smartphone kits may offer an additional modality to improve compliance with albuminuria screening and may be preferable for some patients.
