Revolutionizing Chronic Kidney Disease Management with Digital Health Tools: The Withings Case Study
3 min read
Chronic Kidney Disease stage 5 on dialysis (CKD5D) presents one of the most complex and high-risk scenarios in modern medicine. Among the many challenges faced by these patients, cardiovascular disease (CVD) stands out as the leading cause of mortality—a stark reminder of the systemic stress that accompanies kidney failure and dialysis.
But what if technology could help bridge the gap between dialysis sessions, offering clinicians a window into the patient’s health in real-time? An article in Frontiers in Nephrology explores exactly that, highlighting the transformative potential of digital health technologies to monitor and manage CKD5D patients beyond the clinic.
The Hidden Risks Between Dialysis Sessions
For CKD5D patients, the risks of CVD are amplified by both traditional and disease-specific factors:
Traditional risks like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
CKD-specific risks such as inflammation, fluid overload, protein-energy wasting and vascular calcification.
The dialysis process itself, which induces rapid fluid shifts, blood pressure fluctuations, and metabolic imbalances.
Current clinical care models often focus on in-center dialysis data, leaving a crucial blind spot during the interdialytic period—a time when many adverse events begin to develop unnoticed.
A New Monitoring Paradigm: The Withings Toolkit
The article introduces a compelling case for home-based, connected health technologies—specifically, the Withings toolkit. This suite of medical-grade, consumer-friendly devices allows CKD patients to monitor key health indicators in the comfort of their homes:
Weight, body composition and ECG monitoring with the BodyScan smart scale.
Blood pressure, heart rate and survey responses for added context via BPM Pro 2.
Sleep quality and breathing event metrics using the Sleep Rx.
All data is seamlessly uploaded to the Withings Remote Patient Monitoring platform, providing healthcare providers and researchers with real-time, longitudinal insights into a patient’s well-being.
Why This Matters: Real-World Clinical Benefits
1. Early Detection of Complications Weight gain could signal fluid retention, but muscle loss could indicate protein-energy wasting. A sudden spike in blood pressure or irregular heartbeat might indicate arrhythmias or volume overload. Poor sleep patterns could reflect apnea or restless leg syndrome—conditions with known ties to CKD.
2. Personalized, Data-Driven Care These devices enable a dynamic view of health trends, allowing clinicians to tailor treatments proactively rather than reactively. Medication adjustments, fluid restrictions, or further diagnostics can be made with greater confidence.
3. Patient Empowerment
When patients can see and understand their own data, they become more engaged in their care. This promotes better self-management, increased treatment adherence, and a stronger sense of control over their condition.
4. Systemic Healthcare Advantages Remote monitoring can reduce emergency visits and hospitalizations, easing the burden on overtaxed healthcare systems and offering a cost-effective alternative to frequent in-person evaluations.
The Future: Digital Tools as Standard of Care?
While still in its early stages, this integration of digital health into CKD care reflects a broader movement toward remote, preventative, and personalized medicine. The Withings case study serves as a promising example of how everyday technology can be adapted to serve complex clinical needs.
However, as the authors note, more clinical trials are needed to validate these tools in nephrology settings, establish protocols for data use, and ensure equitable access across diverse patient populations.
Final Thoughts
As we face growing rates of kidney disease and limited nephrology resources, connected health technologies offer a lifeline—not just to patients, but to an entire care infrastructure in need of modernization.
The Withings toolkit is more than a gadget suite; it’s a glimpse into the future of chronic disease management, where data flows continuously, care is adaptive, and patients are active participants in their own health journey.
Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.
Why is ESC important?
A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.
But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health.
Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.
Click the button below to download the infographic.
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[post_title] => What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?
[post_excerpt] => Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.
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Partner
HabitNu
Challenge
Meet targeted 5% weight loss goal per member with a connected scale that would seamlessly integrate into existing workflow.
Solution
Withings Body Scale
Results
57% of active participants had a 5% of more weight loss and achieved a group weight loss of 11.8%
‘‘Ongoing participant engagement is key to the success of the HabitNu program, and the Withings scale is an essential component. We value the top-of-the-line scale and the support our participants receive from Withings Health Solutions.’’
Dr. Sindhu Rajan, CEO of HabitNu
BACKGROUND
HabitNu is a digital health company that provides Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recognized lifestyle modification programs designed to help members with diabetes prevention and chronic disease management. As part of delivering a successful program, HabitNu required to achieve a targeted 5% weight loss for each member. As a result, the company needed a best-in-class and trusted scale vendor to partner with to ensure members could easily and consistently track their weight throughout the program.
CHALLENGE
HabitNu sought an accurate and automated way to collect members’ weight data and demonstrate the targeted 5% or more weight loss for each member. They were also looking for a connected scale vendor that would seamlessly integrate with their existing workflow and provide them with extensive technical and member troubleshooting support.
SOLUTION
HabitNu partnered with Withings Health Solutions to provide the Wifi-based Body scale, along with the Withings HealthMate app that syncs seamlessly with HabitNu’s app. Once the member steps on the Body scale, the data is captured by the Withings HealthMate app and flows directly to HabitNu’s app. Members can track their meals, physical activity, as well as their daily weigh-in data. With the help of Withing’s onboarding team, HabitNu had their app sync with Withings devices in a matter of days.
The sleekly-designed connected scale instantly provides HabitNu with accurate weight and BMI data from its members. The member’s data is then analyzed and displayed for HabitNu health coaches to assess and guide each member’s progress along their health journey.
The scale’s intentionally designed habit-forming features, like displaying the weather forecast when a member steps on the scale, seamlessly becomes part of their daily routine. Members are also empowered to make healthier choices when seeing their weight trends over time and not just the latest number at weigh in.
‘‘The scale provides awesome features. I am so grateful for not only being able to continually see my weight loss progress in terms of pounds and the decreased BMI, but the icing on the cake is the weather notification.’’
- HabitNu member
‘‘The Withings scale was quick and easy to set up. It syncs easily with my phone and the HabitNu app. I also like that it shows gains and losses each time I weigh myself.’’
- HabitNu member
Withings dropships the scales directly to HabitNu members via an API integration, streamlining the logistics process and removing the headache and cost of operating a fulfillment center. “Having a smooth workflow is very important to us,” said Dr. Rajan. “With Withings, we can place orders for new members with just a click of a button. The whole process is very easy.”
RESULTS
Since 2017, HabitNu has offered a Withings Body scale to each of their new members, resulting in healthier life choices and increased program engagement. “The data we’re collecting demonstrates high levels of member adherence and improved health outcomes,” said Dr. Rajan.
In fact, a recent study of a year-long HabitNu Diabetes Prevention Program consisting of 4635 participants using the Withings Body scale showed that 79% of the participants actively engaged with the scale and the HealthMate app. With this program, HabitNu effectively demonstrated that 57% of the active participants had a 5% or more weight loss, and achieved a total group weight loss of 11.8%.
5%
more weight loss among participants actively engaged with the Withings Body Scale
Interested in partnering with us?
Contact Us
[post_title] => Improving Program Adherence and Operational Efficiency to Help Drive Target Weight Loss for a Diabetes Prevention Program
[post_excerpt] => HabitNu partnered with Withings Health Solutions to provide the Wifi-based Body scale, along with the Withings HealthMate app that syncs seamlessly with HabitNu’s app.
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What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?
Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.
Why is ESC important?
A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.
But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health.
Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.
Click the button below to download the infographic.
Our patient-centric care solution utilizes portable Withings cellular devices that are not tied to a single patient. Instead, care teams can use one device to collect and transmit data for an unlimited number of individuals. The integrated cellular connectivity automatically directs the data into the correct patient’s medical record, simplifying data collection and improving care delivery regardless of the setting.