Engagement and usability of a mobile health app for peritoneal dialysis patients: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Background Remote monitoring programs for peritoneal dialysis (PD) have emerged with evidence of improved clinical and system-related outcomes in automated PD (APD) patients. The digital revolution now includes digital applications (apps) for mobile devices in healthcare. We evaluated the usability and patient engagement of using a newly developed mobile health app, MyPD app, for the care of continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) and APD patients. Methods This randomized controlled, open-label, parallel-group trial was conducted in adult prevalent CAPD and APD patients. One arm used the MyPD app in addition to standard of care, while the other followed the standard of care in PD only. The follow-up was for six months. The primary outcome was engagement measured as frequency of communication between clinic and patient and, vice versa, number of preemptive visits and changes in dialysis prescription. Secondary outcomes included usability, peritonitis events, and number of hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and antihypertensive medications Results A total of 140 patients were included in this study, 70 in the MyPD group and 70 in the standard care group. Their mean age was 52 ± 17 years; 68 (49%) patients received CAPD, while 72 (51%) received APD with remote monitoring based on the Sharesource platform. The mean number of communications between the clinic and patients during follow-up was 4.3 ± 5.2 for MyPD group and 1.2 ± 2.3 for standard of care, p < 0.01. The overall usability score was 6.5 ± 0.7, the maximum possible score is 7. Conclusions The use of MyPD app was associated with increased engagement between PD clinic and patients and high usability. The findings from the study are encouraging for integration of mobile health apps like MyPD into routine care in PD as tools to improve communication.