Background and objectives Inappropriate medication use is common in the care of patients with CKD. The feasibility of a simple mobile health tool designed to advise patients on safe medication usage in CKD was examined.Design, setting, participants, & measurements Participants with predialysis CKD (defined as eGFR,60 ml/min per 1.73 m 2 ) in the Safe Kidney Care Cohort Study were recruited for home usability testing of a novel medication inquiry system between January and September of 2013. Testing was through two mobile platforms: (1) short messaging service text or (2) personal digital assistant (e.g., iPod Touch). Twenty participants (one half assigned to one device and one half assigned to the other device) were enrolled and received an in-center tutorial on device usage before the end of the study visit. Participants were subsequently mailed three sample pill bottles with the name of randomly selected medications and asked to input these medications into the medication inquiry system. The medication inquiry system response options were as follows: (1) safe in CKD, (2) not safe in CKD, (3) use with caution/speak with your health care provider, or (4) error message (for an incorrectly inputted medication). Participants were asked to record the response issued by the medication inquiry system for each medication sent for usability testing. A user satisfaction survey was administered after completion of the protocol.Results All participants owned a mobile telephone, but few owned a smartphone. Of 60 total medication queries, there were only three recorded errors, two of which occurred in the short messaging service texting group. Overall satisfaction with the application was high, with slightly higher satisfaction noted in the personal digital assistant group compared with the short messaging service group. ConclusionsThe mobile health medication inquiry system application had general ease of use and high acceptance across two platforms among individuals representative of the CKD population. Tailored mobile health technology may improve medication safety in CKD.

Background Promoting medication adherence is a recognized challenge for prescribers. In this study we examine whether lower medication adherence is associated with adverse safety events in individuals with decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Study Design Cross-sectional baseline analysis of prospective cohort. Setting & Participants Baseline analysis of the Safe Kidney Care (SKC) Cohort Study, a prospective study of individuals with an eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2 intended to assess the incidence of disease-specific safety events. Kidney transplant recipients were excluded. Predictor Self-reported medication adherence based on responses to 3 questions ascertaining degree of medication regimen adherence. Outcomes Adverse safety events were self-reported at baseline (Class I events) such as hypoglycemia or fall thought related to a medication, or detected incidentally during the baseline visit (Class II events), for example hypotension or hyperkalemia. Potential drugrelated problems (DRPs) were determined by analyzing participants’ medications with respect to dosing guidelines based on their screening eGFR values at the time of medication reporting. Measurements Relationship between medication adherence and disease-specific patient safety events. Results Of 293 SKC participants, 154 (53%) were classified as having lower medication adherence. After multivariable adjustment, lower medication adherence was significantly associated with a Class I or II safety event (prevalence ratio [PR], 1.21; 95% CI, 1.04–1.41) and potential DRPs (PR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.02–1.63). Lower medication adherence was also significantly associated with multiple (≥ 2) Class I events (PR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.18–2.49), multiple Class I or II events (PR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.04–1.76), and multiple potential DRPs (PR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.08–2.69) compared to those with higher medication adherence. Limitations Use of self-reported medication adherence rather than pharmacy records. Clinical relevance of detected safety events is unclear. Conclusions Lower medication adherence is associated with adverse safety events in individuals with eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73m2.

BackgroundMonitoring patient-reported outcomes (PROs) may improve safety of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.ObjectiveEvaluate the performance of an interactive voice-inquiry dial-response system (IVRDS) in detecting CKD-pertinent adverse safety events outside of the clinical environment and compare the incidence of events using the IVDRS to that detected by paper diary.MethodsThis was a 6-month study of Stage III-V CKD patients in the Safe Kidney Care (SKC) study. Participants crossed over from a paper diary to the IVDRS for recording patient-reported safety events defined as symptoms or events attributable to medications or care. The IVDRS was adapted from the SKC paper diary to record event frequency and remediation. Participants were auto-called weekly and permitted to self-initiate calls. Monthly reports were reviewed by two physician adjudicators for their clinical significance.Results52 participants were followed over a total of 1384 weeks. 28 out of 52 participants (54%) reported events using the IVDRS versus 8 out of 52 (15%) with the paper diary; hypoglycemia was the most common event for both methods. All IVDRS menu options were selected at least once except for confusion and rash. Events were reported on 121 calls, with 8 calls reporting event remediation by ambulance or emergency room (ER) visit. The event rate with the IVDRS and paper diary, with and without hypoglycemia, was 26.7 versus 4.7 and 18.3 versus 0.8 per 100 person weeks, respectively (P=.002 and P<.001). The frequent users (ie, >10 events) largely differed by method, and event rates excluding the most frequent user of each were 16.9 versus 2.5 per 100 person weeks, respectively (P<.001). Adjudicators found approximately half the 80 reports clinically significant, with about a quarter judged as actionable. Hypoglycemia was often associated with additional reports of fatigue and falling. Participants expressed favorable satisfaction with the IVDRS.ConclusionsUse of the IVDRS among CKD patients reveals a high frequency of clinically significant safety events and has the potential to be used as an important supplement to clinical care for improving patient safety.