Effectiveness of Program to Slow Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease Among T2DM With HT With CKD 3 in the Community: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a significant threat to the quality of life of the global population. Thus, slowing kidney disease progression is considered vital in the treatment of CKD patients. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a program designed to slow the progression of CKD among Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with HT with stage 3 CKD (CKD 3) in Thailand by adopting the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model and applying technology. This study was conducted as a cluster randomized controlled trial. The program activities comprised: (i) providing disease information and teaching behaviors to slow the progression of kidney disease to patients and family members via a 2-h session; (ii) teaching practical behavioral skills for appropriate diet and exercise to patients and family members via a 2-h session; (iii) enhancing personal motivation via the Line application and motivational interviewing via telephone calls; (iv) enhancing social motivation with the support of a family member; (v) employing technology to monitor behaviors and increase patient motivation; and (vi) assessing behaviors that were not practical, exploring barriers to behavior modification, and teaching further practical behavioral skills via the Line application. The data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, chi-square tests, t-tests, and a 2-way repeated-measures analysis of variance. The results showed that after the experiment, the experimental group had significantly higher mean scores in terms of knowledge, perceived benefits, perceived severity, self-efficacy, and behaviors to slow the progression of kidney disease than the control group (P < .05). Further, the experimental group had significantly better clinical outcomes (SBP, DBP, eGFR, BUN, creatinine, albuminuria, FBS, and HbA1c) than the control group (P < .05). In summary, the findings indicate that the program improved clinical outcomes, especially kidney function, effectively slowing the progression of kidney disease.