OX HARP-I

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Telemonitoring of blood pressure in chronic kidney disease: a feasibility study (Oxford Heart and Renal Protection Study-I)

  • IRAS ID

    203078

  • Contact name

    Richard Haynes

  • Contact email

    richard.haynes@ndph.ox.a.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Oxford

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 5 months, 27 days

  • Research summary

    Blood pressure (BP) is believed to be an important risk factor among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is associated with both risk of cardiovascular complications (eg, heart attacks and strokes) and progression of CKD towards the need for dialysis or kidney transplantation. There is uncertainty about how intensively BP should be treated among patients with CKD so further trials are needed.

    BP is traditionally measured during hospital clinic or general practice visits, but such visits are costly in terms of time and resources and the measurements may not be representative of a patient’s usual BP. Telemonitoring technology (where a patient measures their BP at home with a machine that automatically sends the results to a central computer where they can be reviewed by trained clinical staff) may help reduce the costs and improve the
    accuracy of measuring BP (and therefore make trials of BP interventions more efficient), but its feasibility among patients with CKD is unknown.

    Patients with CKD across a broad range of severity would be eligible, regardless of cause of kidney disease and with a broad spectrum of BP.

    Participants will be recruited from a single kidney unit (the Oxford Kidney Unit) and – if willing and eligible – trained in how to use the telemonitoring equipment and instructed on the frequency of measurements requested and questionnaires to complete.

    Participants will be asked to measure their BP daily for one month, and then on alternate days for the next two months. For the first month their treatment will not be changed, but during the second two months they may have their blood pressure lowering treatments changed to ensure they meet current international guideline targets for BP. After 3 months, their participation will end and they will be asked to return the equipment and continue their usual medications.

  • REC name

    South Central - Oxford C Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    16/SC/0274

  • Date of REC Opinion

    15 Jun 2016

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion