Impact of Mobile Application and Outpatient Follow-up on Renal Endpoints and Physiological Indices in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Retrospective Cohort Study in Southwest China

Abstract

Background Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant public health concern, and patient self-management is an effective approach to manage the condition. However, there is little evidence on the effectiveness of mobile app for self-management interventions among Chinese CKD patients. This study aimed to investigate whether using a mobile application combined with traditional outpatient follow-up can improve health outcomes of CKD patients. Methods This retrospective cohort study recruited CKD patients with stage 1–5 who were not receiving renal replacement therapy from a CKD management center. Two groups were established: the APP + outpatient follow-up group and the traditional outpatient follow-up group. Baseline data was collected from January 2015 to December 2019, followed by a three-year long-term follow-up until December 2022. Laboratory data, all-cause mortality, and renal replacement treatment were then collected and compared between the two groups. Results 5326 patients were included in the study, including 2492 in the APP + outpatient group and 2834 in the traditional outpatient group. After IPTW virtualization matching, the final matched the APP + outpatient group consisted of 2489 cases (IQR, 33–55) and 2850 (IQR, 33–55) in the traditional outpatient group. By the end of the study, it was observed that the laboratory data of Phosphorus, Sodium, Triglyceride, Hemoglobin showed significant improvements, Furthermore the APP + outpatient group demonstrated superior results compared to the traditional outpatient group (P < .05). And it was observed that there were 34 deaths (1.4%) in the APP + outpatient group and 46 deaths (1.6%) in the traditional outpatient group(P = .49). After matching for renal replacement therapy outcomes, the two groups were found to be comparable (95% CI [0.72–1.08], P = .23), with no significant difference. However, it was noted that the traditional outpatient group had a lower incidence of using temporary catheters during initial hemodialysis (95% CI [8.4%-29.8%], P < .001). Conclusion The development and application of an app combined with outpatient follow-up management can improve patient health outcomes. However, to ensure optimal preparation for kidney replacement therapy, patients in CKD stages 4–5 may require more frequent traditional outpatient follow-ups, and further develop an information-based decision-making support tool for renal replacement therapy.