Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects about 10% of the population. The costs of caring for these patients exceeds $40 billion per year in Canada. Patients with moderate-severe CKD typically receive routine follow-up care with their nephrologist every 3-6 months. A follow-up appointment with a nephrologist requires time to travel to a clinic, out-of-pocket costs for patients, and time away from other responsibilities. Canadians have expressed a clear interest in being able to manage their healthcare online. The Ontario Telemedicine Network recently launched Home Virtual Visits (HVV), a telemedicine platform that enables physicians to securely connect to patients via an electronic device. HVV may help address some of the challenges faced by patients when receiving CKD care. However, evidence is needed to ensure that high-quality patient-centred care can be delivered through this medium as evidenced by improved patient satisfaction and quality of life. This pragmatic randomized controlled pilot trial of HVV compared to traditional, in-person visits will provide the first step towards the provision of the highest quality of evidence for the use of HVV as a provincially accessible intervention in CKD.