Baxter Asia Pacific (Baxter) has announced the launch of My Kidney Journey—a comprehensive online portal intended to support patients living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
CKD is becoming more prevalent in countries across Asia and continues to be a major public health problem, according to a Baxter press release. In Singapore, for example, the prevalence of CKD is projected to increase to 24.3% by 2035 due to demographic shifts and the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and hypertension.
The release adds that My Kidney Journey has been developed to provide additional information on CKD, such as the symptoms, causes and stages, as well as balanced and up-to-date information on multiple treatment options to manage CKD like home haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, in-centre dialysis care and kidney transplantation.
It also offers support to patients, families and caregivers by providing insights on ways to live well on dialysis, including coping with the emotional difficulties of a diagnosis and the demands of treatment.
“When kidney failure is advancing and replacement therapy is imminent, this can often cause distress and anxiety,” said Marjorie Foo, a senior consultant in renal medicine and associate professor at Singapore General Hospital (Singapore). “It is normal for patients and their carers to worry about what the future holds and how life will change. Relevant sources of information, whether online or through support groups, will empower patients to navigate the complex kidney replacement landscape. Access to information and support, alongside meaningful, shared decision-making consultations with their nephrology team, is key to supporting patients on their dialysis journey.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted people with chronic illnesses, the release continues. Those with pre-existing conditions, including CKD, are at greater risk of more serious illness with COVID-19 because of their immunocompromised status. Home dialysis offers an opportunity for CKD patients to manage their condition from the comfort of their homes while reducing direct human interactions from hospital visits, as well as the likelihood of infection.
New data from Baxter highlight that remote patient management and digital health supports help healthcare practitioners to improve clinical outcomes, including monitoring their patients’ home dialysis treatments, and remotely adjusting therapy without the need for patients to make visits to the clinic or hospital.
“Baxter is committed to improving the care and quality of life for patients with CKD through its continued innovation in modern peritoneal dialysis and in-centre haemodialysis, along with home haemodialysis and other home-based renal replacement therapies and services, which have proven to be advantageous—especially during the pandemic,” said Andrew Frye, president of Baxter Asia Pacific.
“There is no one-size-fits-all model for managing CKD. However, we hope that My Kidney Journey will provide patients with the knowledge and resources they need to plan for a healthy and full life while on dialysis or other CKD treatments. Aside from patients, we hope that this new online portal can be a platform that offers support to caregivers who are supporting their loved ones to adjust to life with CKD and their own personal journey.”
My Kidney Journey APAC is now available to patients and the general public in 10 countries and nine different languages across the APAC region, the Baxter press release concludes.
