Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD)vHCANCT06841016
Virtual Nephrologist
A study testing Virtual Nephrologist in people with Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD), run by University of Pennsylvania at 2 sites in United States.
Trial summary
To develop, pilot, and refine a virtual healthcare agent that will educate patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and their caregivers about kidney transplantation. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD)
- What is being tested?
- Virtual Nephrologist
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 148 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesUnited States
- Study dates
- 26 Mar 2024to 31 Dec 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 y/o able to provide consent
- Advanced CKD
- English speaking
- Penn Medicine patient
Who cannot join
- Vulnerable populations
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
United States2 sites
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37232
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104
About this study
Official title: An Interactive, Conversational Virtual Healthcare Agent to Educate and Engage Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease About Transplantation (Part 2: Pilot)
To develop, pilot, and refine a virtual healthcare agent that will educate patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and their caregivers about kidney transplantation.
Read the detailed description
Over 35 million Americans endure the burdens of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Black Americans face particularly high rates of CKD due to environmental and genetic factors, including systemic racism and inadequate access to specialty providers and effective therapies. The optimal management of advanced CKD poses many challenges for patients, especially those with low health literacy, because of the complexity of medical management and treatment options. For many patients with advanced CKD, pursuing kidney transplantation has major advantages. Compared to chronic dialysis, kidney transplantation improves quality of life and length of life, and offers greater capacity to participate in important activities such as employment. Unfortunately, many patients do not gain sufficient information about kidney transplant or have misconceptions and fears about transplant. This knowledge gap exists in part because many patients have limited access to nephrology care and due to time constraints and ineffective education during nephrology visits. New media technologies can address this need by enabling patients to interact with a virtual health care assistant that both empowers patients to direct the communication toward their own information needs and communicates with patients using language and norms that are comfortable. The study team will develop a virtual healthcare assistant to interact with, educate and counsel patients and their caregivers about kidney transplantation. The tool will provide content developed by the National Kidney Foundation, the leading patient-facing organization focused on kidney disease. Informed by patient partnerships, the tool will address in particular the needs and concerns of Black Americans with kidney disease.
- Conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD)
- Being tested
- Virtual Nephrologist
- Keywords
- CKD, transplantation, virtual healthcare agent, NKF
- Medical subject headings
- Renal Insufficiency, Chronic
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Virtual NephrologistOther
Quality improvement (QI) pilot of an interactive, conversational virtual healthcare agent to educate and engage patients with advanced CKD about transplantation
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Nephrologist | Experimental | Not described Receives: Other: Virtual Nephrologist |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Median change in Transplant intention Likert scale question from pre- to post-vHCA
Assess the change in intentionally to consider/discuss getting a kidney transplant using 5-point Likert scale survey
Measured: 1 year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted21 Feb 2025
- Study start26 Mar 2024
- Primary completion14 Jul 2025
- Study completion31 Dec 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD)Studies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by University of PennsylvaniaThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 148 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Pennsylvania
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Florida, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06841016
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 855462
- Acronym
- vHCA
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 10 Feb 2025
- Last updated
- 12 Jan 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Publications
Reese PP, Tamboli D, Potluri V, Goldberg DS, Venkatakrishnan R, Mussell A, McKenzie SJ, Perez G, Chen L, Mapchan S, Schaubel DE, Leonberg-Yoo A, Krieger JL, Lok B. An Interactive Virtual Nephrologist to Engage Patients With Advanced CKD About Transplantation. Am J Kidney Dis. 2026 Oct;88(4):573-580.e1. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2026.04.014. Epub 2026 Jul 14.
PubMed 42448023
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Jan 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- An Interactive, Conversational Virtual Healthcare Agent to Educate and Engage Patients With Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease About Transplantation (Part 2: Pilot)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06841016
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- vHCA / 855462
- Conditions
- Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD)
- Keywords
- CKD, transplantation, virtual healthcare agent, NKF
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 148 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of PennsylvaniaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- University of Florida, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
- Study start
- 26 Mar 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Jul 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 31 Dec 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 21 Feb 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
To develop, pilot, and refine a virtual healthcare agent that will educate patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and their caregivers about kidney transplantation.
Detailed description
Over 35 million Americans endure the burdens of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Black Americans face particularly high rates of CKD due to environmental and genetic factors, including systemic racism and inadequate access to specialty providers and effective therapies. The optimal management of advanced CKD poses many challenges for patients, especially those with low health literacy, because of the complexity of medical management and treatment options. For many patients with advanced CKD, pursuing kidney transplantation has major advantages. Compared to chronic dialysis, kidney transplantation improves quality of life and length of life, and offers greater capacity to participate in important activities such as employment. Unfortunately, many patients do not gain sufficient information about kidney transplant or have misconceptions and fears about transplant. This knowledge gap exists in part because many patients have limited access to nephrology care and due to time constraints and ineffective education during nephrology visits. New media technologies can address this need by enabling patients to interact with a virtual health care assistant that both empowers patients to direct the communication toward their own information needs and communicates with patients using language and norms that are comfortable. The study team will develop a virtual healthcare assistant to interact with, educate and counsel patients and their caregivers about kidney transplantation. The tool will provide content developed by the National Kidney Foundation, the leading patient-facing organization focused on kidney disease. Informed by patient partnerships, the tool will address in particular the needs and concerns of Black Americans with kidney disease.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Not applicable
- Intervention model
- Single group
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 1
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Nephrologist | Experimental | Other: Virtual Nephrologist |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- 18 y/o able to provide consent
- Advanced CKD
- English speaking
- Penn Medicine patient
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Vulnerable populations
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Virtual NephrologistQuality improvement (QI) pilot of an interactive, conversational virtual healthcare agent to educate and engage patients with advanced CKD about transplantation | Other | Virtual Nephrologist |
Primary outcome
Median change in Transplant intention Likert scale question from pre- to post-vHCA
Time frame: 1 year
Assess the change in intentionally to consider/discuss getting a kidney transplant using 5-point Likert scale survey
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 Jan 2026.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 42448023Reese PP, Tamboli D, Potluri V, Goldberg DS, Venkatakrishnan R, Mussell A, McKenzie SJ, Perez G, Chen L, Mapchan S, Schaubel DE, Leonberg-Yoo A, Krieger JL, Lok B. An Interactive Virtual Nephrologist to Engage Patients With Advanced CKD About Transplantation. Am J Kidney Dis. 2026 Oct;88(4):573-580.e1. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2026.04.014. Epub 2026 Jul 14.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Virtual Nephrologist in people with Chronic Kidney Disease(CKD), run by University of Pennsylvania at 2 sites in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 12 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Median change in Transplant intention Likert scale question from pre- to post-vHCA (time frame: 1 year). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06841016, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 12 Jan 2026.