A companion to your dialysis treatment

The development of our myCompanion app has revolutionised the way patients engage with, and learn from, their own dialysis treatment. With myCompanion, patients get the chance to see their own personal therapy data, directly from their clinic’s reliable database, EuCliD. As such, they can make alterations based on their treatment history and find a range of educational resources to help better understand their renal care.

We recently spoke with Nadia Mechkarova, Clinic Manager at our Grimsby Dialysis Unit and advocate for the app, about the changes and benefits she’s seen since the app’s introduction.

The purpose of myCompanion, and how to use it to effectively manage your treatment and lifestyle can be broken down into a few key areas; lab results, treatment, and education. This mirrors how the app is set out, with user-friendliness as a priority.

Lab Results

On the app, patients can access their latest results as soon as they are received from the lab and can access insights into what these values mean. They can also compare their result history, seeing how they have evolved over time. Having this crucial information alongside regular appointments means patients can feel connected and in control of their own healthcare, even when not in the clinic. Not only is this giving patients autonomy in managing their own renal care, as they feel much more up to date. Nadia described the buzz in the clinic when everyone started reading their results on the app. Engaging in conversations about this, Nadia believes this is directly advancing patient care, giving them greater independence, and understanding over their personal choices, as well as raising awareness of the intricacies of dialysis.

Treatment management

Patients can see an overview of all their dialysis sessions in the app, including session length, weight change, and blood pressure, both before and after treatment. Nadia shows us how on the home screen you have access to this data and notes how important it is for patients at home.

“If a patient can see they didn’t get rid of enough fluid during dialysis, they can review the app and adjust their behaviour throughout the day to mitigate this, which can be as small as deciding to have one less cup of tea. Or, if you have high levels of phosphates or other data outside usual parameters, being able to understand how to manage this through diet, on your patient’s own terms, is absolutely life changing.”

Small changes like this will make a big difference to dialysis treatment. The app is made simply to view, as any data that is not in range, will be circled in red. Being able to track personal changes motivates patients to maintain a healthy renal diet. Nadia notes how she has seen this improvement when patients come into the clinic now.

Understanding your treatment

The ins-and-outs of renal dieting and managing fluids can be complex, and understandably being educated on these matters can vitally affect patients’ life, or the life of loved ones on dialysis, which can be a daunting task. With the myCompanion app, patients will have access to all this information in a simple and digestible way, right at their fingertips. Having the option to get their phone out and find the information they need, and trust, can help them feel in control of their care. Patients can learn how their heart works, how to limit salt intake and why, and how to quench thirst without overconsuming fluid, all in the ‘explore’ section.

Having the myCompanion app helps to transform how patients take care of themselves, giving them awareness, more freedom of choice and independence, and general improved health. It allowed patients to take back control of their treatment. We can’t wait to see the transformative changes this app will make to patients on dialysis – an extraordinary tool in aiding the lives of many.