Technology-Enabled Remote Patient Monitoring and Education to Improve Kidney Transplant Knowledge, Access, and...

Given significant barriers to transplant access and suboptimal post-transplant outcomes, particularly for underserved populations, this review provides a summary of the studies assessing technology-enabled tools for remote patient monitoring (RPM) and education to improve kidney transplant knowledge, access, and care. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative research, we examine how digital health interventions enhance transplant knowledge, adherence, and long-term outcomes while providing recommendations for their effective design and integration into transplant care.

Studies demonstrate that technology-enabled interventions, including mobile health applications and personalized educational platforms complemented by provider's support, improve transplant knowledge, adherence to immunosuppressive therapy, and blood pressure management. Programs also incorporating socio-economic support have been effective in improving transplant knowledge and progression toward transplant among African American and Hispanic patients. Patients value features such as personalized reminders, user-friendly interfaces, and storytelling platforms. However, challenges such as privacy concerns, technology access, and usability remain. Ensuring a patient-centered, culturally, and socioeconomically sensitive approach-while integrating a holistic, multi-level framework that involves patients, caregivers, donors, and healthcare providers and addresses educational, clinical, mental, and social needs-can enhance engagement and health outcomes. Emerging interventions, including wearable biosensors, chatbot-assisted education, artificial intelligence for risk prediction, and remote patient-reported outcome platforms, are expanding transplant care possibilities but require further evaluation, scalability, and centralized integration.

Technology-enabled tools offer promising opportunities to address key challenges in kidney transplant care. Future research should focus on scaling, integrating, and optimizing these interventions within a Human Technology Co-Care model, combining digital innovation with provider engagement to ensure equitable, efficient, and patient-centered care.