As the seventh cohort of the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator program draws to a close, we celebrate the remarkable achievements of our participating companies. Featured today is Kidney Beam, an innovative online platform designed to support people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) through clinically proven exercise, education and wellness solutions.
What is the challenge you are facing?
In the UK, 7.2 million people suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD), more than 10% of the total population, costing the UK economy £7 billion a year. An estimated 28% of CKD patients are considered physically inactive, with this figure rising to 44% in patients with end-stage renal disease. There is significant evidence that exercise rehabilitation for people with kidney disease can result in a 21% delay in disease progression, a 33% reduction in mortality risk and could lead to saving £268 million a year on healthcare.
What is the solution you have developed and how can it help solve the problem?
Kidney bundle is a clinically proven online exercise, education and wellness platform developed for people living with chronic kidney disease. Created in partnership with King’s College Hospital, London, the platform offers live and on-demand classes and programs led by physiotherapists and exercise professionals trained in or living with CKD.
He offers:
- Evidence-based kidney-specific content
- Professional and peer support
- A personalized, data-driven experience
- Interoperability with platform partners
- 20 years of cutting-edge scientific intellectual property
- A virtual solution that delivers results comparable to in-person care
With Beam’s help, I’ve come a long way. Not only have you helped me get fitter and stronger, but you have helped me gain confidence. My family doesn’t remember seeing me walking around without a stick. I now move around my house without a stick. I see the day when I will no longer need my stair lift to go up and down the stairs. So I owe a lot to Beam.
John
86 years old, Kidney Beam user since May 2022
232 courses completed to date
What have you accomplished while participating in the DigitalHealth.London accelerator?
Kidney Beam has been rolled out across England via all eight kidney networks. We performed a multicenter randomized controlled trial involving 340 participants, which was recently published in the prestigious Lancet Digital Health log and showed that Kidney Beam participants had;
- Significant improvement in kidney disease quality of life score
- Significantly improved patient activation measurement
- Significantly improved physical function as measured by the 60-second sit-to-stand test
- 93% and 98% probability of being cost effective at £20,000 and £30,000 per QALY.
Overall, the study showed that the Kidney Beam physical activity platform is an effective digital health intervention for improving the mental health-related quality of life of patients with chronic kidney disease. These findings could facilitate the integration of remote digital health interventions into clinical practice and offer a potential intervention worthy of study in other chronic diseases.
Kidney Beam now works with some of the leading kidney charities including Kidney Research UK, the National Kidney Federation, Kidney Care UK, the UK Kidney Association and Kidney Wales. We also have testing sites in Ireland, the USA and Canada.
We also successfully completed a seed funding round, led by Kidney Research UK, using an innovative crowdfunding strategy through CrowdCube to secure investment for Kidney Beam.
Where have you had the best adoption/dissemination/impact?
This evidence base has enabled us to partner with renal clinical networks across all eight regions of England and the ROI, and we are now accessible to people living with kidney disease across all 72 NHS renal units.
Currently we have a preliminary policy proposal being considered by the NHS England Clinical Policy Unit to assess whether a physical activity digital health intervention such as Kidney Beam should become standard care for people living with an MRC.
How have you made the most of your time on the DigitalHealth.London accelerator?
The program has been transformational for our business. Having a dedicated NHS navigator has provided us with invaluable expertise and up-to-date information, allowing us to use our time and resources efficiently to access a commissioned service. The workshops were both informative and stimulating, and we really enjoyed connecting with other businesses during the networking days.
THE DigitalHealth.London Accelerator The program is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It is delivered by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London in partnership with the Office of Life Sciences, CW+, Medicity, NHS England, the Mayor of London and the Leveling Up Fund.
For more information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-
Shared Prosperity Fund prospectus.
