Effect of eHealth Interventions on Medication Adherence in Kidney Transplant Recipients: Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials

Abstract

Background: Kidney transplant recipients must take immunosuppressive drugs for life, and medication non-adherence is a primary risk factor for graft loss and death. With the advancement of technology, electronic health applications are widely used in chronic disease management and offer the potential to improve medication adherence in kidney transplant recipients.

Aim: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that assess the effectiveness of eHealth interventions in improving medication adherence among kidney transplant recipients.

Methods: This study, which was designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis, followed PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) protocols in the planning and reporting phases. Electronic databases and manual literature searches were the two main data sources. Full-text RCTs in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus databases were systematically searched. The searches covered studies from 2014 to March 2024.

Results: The search yielded 524 articles. Eight RCTs with 779 participants were included in the analysis. The meta-analysis results indicated that, compared with the control group, adherence rates (RR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.06-1.35; p = 0.01. Heterogeneity: Q = 8.69; p = 0.28; I2 = 19%) and adherence scores (SMD: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.05-0.29; p = 0.02. Heterogeneity: Q = 0.45; p = 0.93; I2 = 0%) significantly increased in the eHealth intervention group compared with the control group.

Conclusion: The findings of this report show that eHealth interventions to improve medication adherence in kidney transplant recipients show favourable outcomes compared with standard care. We recommend eHealth interventions to improve long-term survival and patient outcomes in kidney transplant recipients.