•Remote monitoring supports self-management, by increasing patient confidence.•Remote monitoring enables early identification of clinical exacerbations.•Remote monitoring increased shared ...decision-making.•Patients unfamiliar with technology were more concerned and doubted reliability.•Patients value face-to-face consultations with clinicians.
To describe the range of patients’ beliefs, attitudes, expectations, and experiences of remote monitoring for chronic conditions across different healthcare contexts and populations.
We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsychINFO, and CINAHL, Google Scholar, and reference lists of related studies through to July 2017. Thematic synthesis was used to analyse the findings of the primary studies. Study characteristics were examined to explain differences in findings.
All healthcare settings
Adults with chronic diseases
Patient beliefs, attitudes, expectations and experiences of remote monitoring
We included 16 studies involving 307 participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, diabetes, hypertension, and end stage kidney disease. The studies were conducted in 8 countries. We identified four themes: gaining knowledge and triggering actions (tracking and responding to change, prompting timely and accessible care, supporting self-management and shared decision-making); reassurance and security (safety in being alone, peace of mind); concern about additional burden (reluctance to learn something new, lack of trust in technology, avoiding additional out-of-pocket costs), and jeopardising interpersonal connections (fear of being lost in data, losing face to face contact).
For patients with chronic disease, remote monitoring increased their disease-specific knowledge, triggered earlier clinical assessment and treatment, improved self-management and shared decision-making. However, these potential benefits were balanced against concerns about losing interpersonal contact, and the additional personal responsibility of remote monitoring.
Background Robust estimates and sources of variation in risks of clinical outcomes for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-associated acute kidney injury (AKI) are needed to inform clinical practice and ...policy. We aimed to assess whether the methods for defining acute kidney disease modify the estimated association of AKI with CPB. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting & Population Adults undergoing CPB. Selection Criteria for Studies Cohort studies reporting adjusted associations between CPB-associated AKI and early mortality, later mortality, stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, all-cause hospitalization, chronic kidney disease, end-stage kidney disease, bleeding complications, or perioperative infection. Predictors CPB-associated AKI and renal replacement therapy. Outcomes The primary outcome was early mortality (in-hospital or within 90 days of surgery) in studies reporting adjusted associations and secondary outcomes including total and cardiovascular mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, rehospitalization, end-stage kidney disease, bleeding, and perioperative infection. Results 46 studies with 47 unique cohorts comprising 242,388 participants were included. The pooled rate of CPB-associated AKI was 18.2%, and of renal replacement therapy, 2.1%. CPB-associated AKI was associated with early mortality (risk ratio RR, 4.0; 95% CI, 3.1-5.2; crude mortality with CPB-associated AKI, 4.6%; without CPB-AKI, 1.5%) with considerable heterogeneity between studies ( I2 = 87%). The AKI definition did not modify prognostic estimates ( P for subgroup analysis = 0.9). When heterogeneity was fully accounted for using credibility ceilings, risks of early mortality were attenuated (RR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.8-2.8) but remained high. Renal replacement therapy also was associated with early mortality (RR, 5.3; 95% CI, 3.4-8.1). CPB-associated AKI also was associated with long-term mortality (RR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.7-2.3) and stroke (RR, 2.2; 95% CI, 1.1-4.5). No other outcomes were reported in more than 3 studies. Limitations Unclear attrition from follow-up in most studies and variable adjustment for confounders across studies. Conclusions CPB-associated AKI is associated with a more than 2-fold increase in early mortality regardless of AKI definition.
Research reporting guidelines are increasingly commonplace and shown to improve the quality of published health research and health outcomes. Despite severe health inequities among Indigenous Peoples ...and the potential for research to address the causes, there is an extended legacy of health research exploiting Indigenous Peoples. This paper describes the development of the CONSolIDated critERtia for strengthening the reporting of health research involving Indigenous Peoples (CONSIDER) statement.
A collaborative prioritization process was conducted based on national and international statements and guidelines about Indigenous health research from the following nations (Peoples): Australia (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders), Canada (First Nations Peoples, Métis), Hawaii (Native Hawaiian), New Zealand (Māori), Taiwan (Taiwan Indigenous Tribes), United States of America (First Nations Peoples) and Northern Scandinavian countries (Sami). A review of seven research guidelines was completed, and meta-synthesis was used to construct a reporting guideline checklist for transparent and comprehensive reporting of research involving Indigenous Peoples.
A list of 88 possible checklist items was generated, reconciled, and categorized. Eight research domains and 17 criteria for the reporting of research involving Indigenous Peoples were identified. The research reporting domains were: (i) governance; (ii) relationships; (iii) prioritization; (iv) methodologies; (v) participation; (vi) capacity; (vii) analysis and findings; and (viii) dissemination.
The CONSIDER statement is a collaborative synthesis and prioritization of national and international research statements and guidelines. The CONSIDER statement provides a checklist for the reporting of health research involving Indigenous peoples to strengthen research praxis and advance Indigenous health outcomes.
Summary Background The comparative efficacy and safety of pharmacological agents to lower blood pressure in adults with diabetes and kidney disease remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the ...benefits and harms of blood pressure-lowering drugs in this population of patients. Methods We did a network meta-analysis of randomised trials from around the world comparing blood pressure-lowering agents in adults with diabetic kidney disease. Electronic databases (the Cochrane Collaboration, Medline, and Embase) were searched systematically up to January, 2014, for trials in adults with diabetes and kidney disease comparing orally administered blood pressure-lowering drugs. Primary outcomes were all-cause mortality and end-stage kidney disease. We also assessed secondary safety and cardiovascular outcomes. We did random-effects network meta-analysis to obtain estimates for primary and secondary outcomes and we presented these estimates as odds ratios or standardised mean differences with 95% CIs. We ranked the comparative effects of all drugs against placebo with surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities. Findings 157 studies comprising 43 256 participants, mostly with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease, were included in the network meta-analysis. No drug regimen was more effective than placebo for reducing all-cause mortality. However, compared with placebo, end-stage renal disease was significantly less likely after dual treatment with an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) and an angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (odds ratio 0·62, 95% CI 0·43–0·90) and after ARB monotherapy (0·77, 0·65–0·92). No regimen significantly increased hyperkalaemia or acute kidney injury, although combined ACE inhibitor and ARB treatment had the lowest rank among all interventions because of borderline increases in estimated risks of these harms (odds ratio 2·69, 95% CI 0·97–7·47 for hyperkalaemia; 2·69, 0·98–7·38 for acute kidney injury). Interpretation No blood pressure-lowering strategy prolonged survival in adults with diabetes and kidney disease. ACE inhibitors and ARBs, alone or in combination, were the most effective strategies against end-stage kidney disease. Any benefits of combined ACE inhibitor and ARB treatment need to be balanced against potential harms of hyperkalaemia and acute kidney injury. Funding Canterbury Medical Research Foundation, Italian Medicines Agency.
This randomized trial assessed whether urate-lowering treatment with allopurinol could attenuate eGFR decline in at-risk patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease. Allopurinol did not slow ...the decline in eGFR as compared with placebo.
Background Managing the complex fluid and diet requirements of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is challenging for patients. We aimed to summarize patients’ perspectives of dietary and fluid management ...in CKD to inform clinical practice and research. Study Design Systematic review of qualitative studies. Setting & Population Adults with CKD who express opinions about dietary and fluid management. Search Strategy & Sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Google Scholar, reference lists, and PhD dissertations were searched to May 2013. Analytical Approach Thematic synthesis. Results We included 46 studies involving 816 patients living in middle- to high-income countries. Studies involved patients treated with facility-based and home hemodialysis (33 studies; 462 patients), peritoneal dialysis (10 studies; 112 patients), either hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis (3 studies; 73 patients), kidney transplant recipients (9 studies; 89 patients), and patients with non–dialysis-dependent CKD stages 1 to 5 (5 studies; 80 patients). Five major themes were identified: preserving relationships (interference with roles, social limitations, and being a burden), navigating change (feeling deprived, disrupting held truths, breaking habits and norms, being overwhelmed by information, questioning efficacy, and negotiating priorities), fighting temptation (resisting impositions, experiencing mental invasion, and withstanding physiologic needs), optimizing health (accepting responsibility, valuing self-management, preventing disease progression, and preparing for and protecting a transplant), and becoming empowered (comprehending paradoxes, finding solutions, and mastering change and demands). Limitations Limited data in non-English languages and low-income settings and for adults with CKD not treated with hemodialysis. Conclusions Dietary and fluid restrictions are disorienting and an intense burden for patients with CKD. Patient-prioritized education strategies, harnessing patients’ motivation to stay well for a transplant or to avoid dialysis, and viewing adaptation to restrictions as a collaborative journey are suggested strategies to help patients adjust to dietary regimens in order to reduce their impact on quality of life.
Background Although home hemodialysis (HD) is associated with better survival compared with hospital HD, the burden of treatment may be intensified for patients and their caregivers and deter ...patients from this treatment choice. We describe patient and caregiver perspectives and experiences of home HD to inform home HD programs that align with patient preferences. Study Design Systematic review of qualitative studies. Setting & Population Adults with chronic kidney disease and caregivers of both home and hospital dialysis patients who expressed opinions about home HD. Search Strategy & Sources MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and reference lists were searched to October 2013. Analytical Approach Thematic synthesis. Results 24 studies involving 221 patients (home HD n = 109, hospital HD n = 97, and predialysis n = 15) and 121 caregivers were eligible. We identified 5 themes: vulnerability of dialyzing independently (fear of self-needling, feeling unqualified, and anticipating catastrophic complications), fear of being alone (social isolation and medical disconnection), concern of family burden (emotional demands on caregivers, imposing responsibility, family involvement, and medicalizing the home), opportunity to thrive (re-establishing a healthy self-identity, gaining control and freedom, strengthening relationships, experiencing improved health, and ownership of decision), and appreciating medical responsiveness (attentive monitoring and communication, depending on learning and support, developing readiness, and clinician validation). Limitations Non-English articles were excluded. Conclusions Patients and caregivers perceive that home HD offers the opportunity to thrive; improves freedom, flexibility, and well-being; and strengthens relationships. However, some voice anxiety and fear about starting home HD due to the confronting nature of the treatment and isolation from medical and social support. Acknowledging and addressing these apprehensions can improve the delivery of predialysis and home HD programs to better support patients and caregivers considering home HD.
Background Cognitive impairment is associated with poorer quality of life, risk for hospitalization, and mortality. Cognitive impairment is common in people with end-stage kidney disease treated with ...hemodialysis, yet the severity and specific cognitive deficits are uncertain. Study Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Setting & Population Adults receiving hemodialysis compared with the general population, people with non−dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD), people receiving peritoneal dialysis, or people with nondialyzed chronic kidney failure. Selection Criteria for Studies Randomized controlled trials, cohort or cross-sectional studies without language restriction. Index Tests Validated neuropsychological tests of cognition. Outcomes Cognitive test scores, aggregated by cognitive domain: orientation and attention, perception, memory, language, construction and motor performance, concept formation and reasoning, and executive functions. Results 42 studies of 3,522 participants. Studies were of high or uncertain risk of bias, assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. People treated with hemodialysis had worse cognition than the general population, particularly in attention (n = 22; standardized mean difference SMD, −0.93; 95% CI, −1.18 to −0.68). Hemodialysis patients performed better than nondialyzed patients with chronic kidney failure in attention (n = 6; SMD, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.96) and memory (n = 6; SMD, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.63), but had poorer memory than the general population (n = 16; SMD, −0.41; 95% CI, −0.91 to 0.09) and people with NDD-CKD (n = 5; SMD, −0.40; 95% CI, −0.60 to −0.21). There were insufficient data to show other differences among people receiving hemodialysis and those receiving peritoneal dialysis or with NDD-CKD. Limitations Potentially biased studies, not wholly adjusted for education. High heterogeneity, mainly due to the large variety of tests used to assess cognition. Conclusions People treated with hemodialysis have impaired cognitive function compared to the general population, particularly in the domains of orientation and attention and executive function. Cognitive deficits in specific domains should be further explored in this population and should be considered when approaching education and chronic disease management.
Patients with CKD are advised to follow dietary recommendations that restrict individual nutrients. Emerging evidence indicates overall eating patterns may better predict clinical outcomes, however, ...current data on dietary patterns in kidney disease are limited.
This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between dietary patterns and mortality or ESRD among adults with CKD. Medline, Embase, and reference lists were systematically searched up to November 24, 2015 by two independent review authors. Eligible studies were longitudinal cohort studies reporting the association of dietary patterns with mortality, cardiovascular events, or ESRD.
A total of seven studies involving 15,285 participants were included. Healthy dietary patterns were generally higher in fruit and vegetables, fish, legumes, cereals, whole grains, and fiber, and lower in red meat, salt, and refined sugars. In six studies, healthy dietary patterns were consistently associated with lower mortality (3983 events; adjusted relative risk, 0.73; 95% confidence interval, 0.63 to 0.83; risk difference of 46 fewer (29-63 fewer) events per 1000 people over 5 years). There was no statistically significant association between healthy dietary patterns and risk of ESRD (1027 events; adjusted relative risk, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.68 to 1.40).
Healthy dietary patterns are associated with lower mortality in people with kidney disease. Interventions to support adherence to increased fruit and vegetable, fish, legume, whole grain, and fiber intake, and reduced red meat, sodium, and refined sugar intake could be effective tools to lower mortality in people with kidney disease.
Background Guidelines preferentially recommend noncalcium phosphate binders in adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We compare and rank phosphate-binder strategies for CKD. Study Design Network ...meta-analysis. Setting & Population Adults with CKD. Selection Criteria for Studies Randomized trials with allocation to phosphate binders. Interventions Sevelamer, lanthanum, iron, calcium, colestilan, bixalomer, nicotinic acid, and magnesium. Outcomes The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. Additional outcomes were cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, adverse events, serum phosphorus and calcium levels, and coronary artery calcification. Results 77 trials (12,562 participants) were included. Most (62 trials in 11,009 patients) studies were performed in a dialysis population. Trials were generally of short duration (median, 6 months) and had high risks of bias. All-cause mortality was ascertained in 20 studies during 86,744 patient-months of follow-up. There was no evidence that any drug class lowered mortality or cardiovascular events when compared to placebo. Compared to calcium, sevelamer reduced all-cause mortality (OR, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.21-0.74), whereas treatment effects of lanthanum, iron, and colestilan were not significant (ORs of 0.78 95% CI, 0.16-3.72, 0.37 95% CI, 0.09-1.60, and 0.55 95% CI, 0.07-4.43, respectively). Lanthanum caused nausea, whereas sevelamer posed the highest risk for constipation and iron caused diarrhea. All phosphate binders lowered serum phosphorus levels to a greater extent than placebo, with iron ranked as the best treatment. Sevelamer and lanthanum posed substantially lower risks for hypercalcemia than calcium. Limitations Limited testing of consistency; short follow-up. Conclusions There is currently no evidence that phosphate-binder treatment reduces mortality compared to placebo in adults with CKD. It is not clear whether the higher mortality with calcium versus sevelamer reflects whether there is net harm associated with calcium, net benefit with sevelamer, both, or neither. Iron-based binders show evidence of greater phosphate lowering that warrants further examination in randomized trials.