Smartphone App Improves Kidney Transplant Outcomes

FRIDAY, May 14, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A pharmacist-led smartphone health app prevents medication errors and hospitalizations among kidney transplant recipients, according to a study published in the May issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Haley M. Gonzales, Pharm.D., from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, and colleagues evaluated the efficacy of improving medication safety through a pharmacist-led, mobile health-based intervention. Adult kidney recipients (136 patients; six to 36 months posttransplant) were randomly assigned to an intervention (supplemental clinical pharmacist-led medication therapy monitoring and management via a mobile health-based application, integrated with risk-guided televisits and home-based blood pressure and glucose monitoring) or usual care.

The researchers found that participants receiving the intervention experienced a significant reduction in medication errors (incident risk ratio, 0.39) and a significantly lower incidence risk for grade 3 or higher adverse events (incident risk ratio, 0.55). The intervention arm also showed significantly lower rates of hospitalizations (incident risk ratio, 0.46).

“It is paramount that we identify innovative strategies to help manage medication safety issues, and the integration of mobile health-based interventions and clinical pharmacist leadership represents a promising opportunity,” a coauthor said in a statement.

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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