COordiNated CommuNication, Education, and Care Transitions After Acute Kidney Injury (CONNECT-AKI)- A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

NCT07626268 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 26-0133K23DK132459
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 160
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether different ways of providing information and follow-up support after acute kidney injury, also called AKI, can improve care transitions for adults being discharged from the hospital. AKI is a sudden decrease in kidney function that can occur during a hospital stay. The main questions this study aims to answer are:

• Does an AKI discharge summary template improve communication about AKI after hospital discharge?
• Does a chat-based educational messaging program improve patient understanding of AKI and support follow-up care after hospital discharge?
• Researchers will compare usual care, an AKI discharge summary template, a chat-based educational messaging program, and the combination of the discharge summary template plus chat-based messaging. Researchers will compare four groups:
• Usual care
• An AKI discharge summary template
• A chat-based educational messaging program
• Both the AKI discharge summary template and the chat-based educational messaging program Participants will complete questionnaires at the start of the study and about 4 weeks after hospital discharge. Participants will also receive a brief phone call about 3 months after discharge, and the research team will review their medical record for information about follow-up care, lab testing, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions.

Conditions

Acute Kidney Injury; Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)

Keywords

Acute kidney injury; AKI; Hospital discharge; Care transitions; Post-discharge care; Patient education; Discharge communication; Discharge summary; Hospital readmission; Chat-based education; Digital health

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Feasibility: Eligible patient enrollment

  Percentage of eligible patients enrolled among those approached.

  Enrollment period

• Feasibility: Participant retention

  Percentage of enrolled participants who complete the follow-up assessment.

  Baseline to 3 months after discharge

• Feasibility: Successful delivery of assigned intervention components

  Percentage of participants assigned to an intervention arm who receive the assigned intervention component or components as intended, including the AKI discharge summary template and/or chat-based educational messaging program.

  Hospital discharge through 4 weeks after discharge

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• AKI Knowledge Score

  4 weeks after hospital discharge

• Patient experience during care transitions

  4 weeks after hospital discharge

• Self-management behaviors related to kidney health

  4 weeks after hospital discharge

• Adherence to outpatient follow-up appointments

  4 weeks after hospital discharge, and 3 months after hospital discharge

• Patient-reported discussion of AKI with outpatient provider

  4 weeks after hospital discharge

Other Outcomes (2)

• Hospital readmission

  Within 4 weeks and within 3 months after hospital discharge

• Kidney function trajectory after discharge

  Within 4 weeks and within 3 months after hospital discharge

Study Arms (4)

Usual Care

NO INTERVENTION

Participants assigned to this group will receive usual hospital discharge care. No additional study discharge summary template or chat-based educational messaging program will be provided as part of the intervention.

AKI Discharge Summary Template

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive usual hospital discharge care plus use of an AKI discharge summary template. The template is designed to support communication of AKI-related information and recommended follow-up care during the transition from hospital to outpatient care.

Behavioral: AKI Discharge Summary Template

Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive usual hospital discharge care plus access to a chat-based educational messaging program after hospital discharge. The program provides plain-language AKI education and follow-up support through a secure web-based chat-style interface.

Behavioral: Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

AKI Discharge Summary Template + Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group will receive usual hospital discharge care plus both study interventions: use of the AKI discharge summary template and access to the chat-based educational messaging program after hospital discharge.

Behavioral: AKI Discharge Summary Template; Behavioral: Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

Interventions

AKI Discharge Summary Template BEHAVIORAL

The AKI discharge summary template provides structured AKI-related information for the hospital discharge summary, including information about the AKI episode and recommended follow-up care. The template is intended to improve communication during the transition from hospital to outpatient care.

AKI Discharge Summary Template; AKI Discharge Summary Template + Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program BEHAVIORAL

The chat-based educational messaging program provides AKI-related educational messages after hospital discharge. Messages are delivered through a secure web-based chat-style interface and are designed to support patient understanding of AKI, post-discharge follow-up, and kidney-related care after hospitalization.

AKI Discharge Summary Template + Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program; Chat-Based Educational Messaging Program

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age 18 years or older
• Hospitalized with Stage 2 or Stage 3 acute kidney injury
• Kidney function has not returned to baseline at the time of hospital discharge
• Able to communicate in English
• Able to provide informed consent
• Willing and able to participate in study procedures independently or with assistance from a patient-designated care partner

You may not qualify if:

• Acute kidney injury requiring ongoing dialysis at the time of hospital discharge
• End-stage kidney disease
• Kidney transplant recipient
• Currently pregnant
• Documented cognitive impairment that precludes informed consent
• Receiving hospice or comfort-focused end-of-life care

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Northwell Health: lead
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK): collaborator

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MeSH Terms

Conditions

Acute Kidney Injury

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Renal Insufficiency; Kidney Diseases; Urologic Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases; Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications; Urogenital Diseases; Male Urogenital Diseases

Study Officials

• Jia Hwei Ng, MD, MSCE

  Northwell Health

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Jia Hwei Ng, MD, MSCE

CONTACT

516-465-8200; jng10@northwell.edu

Farwa Batool, MPH

CONTACT

fbatool@northwell.edu

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 29, 2026
• First Posted: June 4, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 30, 2027
• Last Updated: June 4, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share