Patient organisation comments

Advice

Key benefits for patients identified by patient organisations include convenience, speed of diagnosis and improved uptake of albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) urine testing. Both organisations highlighted the inadequate uptake of urine kidney testing. One organisation commented that testing is often not completed because it can be impractical for patients. Another organisation noted that currently 25% of people with type 1 diabetes and 39% of people with type 2 diabetes were not accessing urine kidney testing. Patient organisations noted that those who could particularly benefit from the technology included people with type 1 diabetes who do not access the urine kidney function test, young people who are less engaged with their local diabetes service and people with chronic kidney disease or at risk of it from diabetes or high blood pressure. Also, people with kidney transplants who need to travel to transplant units to give a urine samples could particularly benefit. One of the organisations highlighted that people who are having dialysis do not pass urine and would not be able to use this test. They also noted that people who do not have smartphone devices or internet access would not be able to use the technology. This may particularly apply to older people. Digital literacy was highlighted by one of the organisations as a potential barrier to adoption. The organisation felt that because of this, the test should not replace in-clinic ACR testing entirely. However, people with diabetes could have more choice in their care by having 2 testing options. The cost of the test was highlighted as a possible barrier to adoption by both organisations.