The Mindful Kidney: Supporting Mindfulness for Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects approximately 15% of U.S. adults and is associated with elevated rates of anxiety, depression, and diminished quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy for psychological well-being in chronic illness populations, but scalable digital delivery models for CKD have not been adequately tested.

This single-arm pilot feasibility trial evaluates Calm Health, a HIPAA-compliant digital mindfulness platform, among adults with CKD receiving nephrology care at Yale Medicine or Yale New Haven Hospital. Over 6 weeks, participants will use the app at a recommended dose of 45 minutes per week. They will also wear an Actigraph Leap 2 wrist sensor continuously to capture physical activity, sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin temperature, and blood pressure trends derived from photoplethysmography (PPG).

The primary objectives are to assess feasibility (app engagement minutes per week) and acceptability (satisfaction, appropriateness, and feasibility ratings). Secondary objectives include estimating pre-post effect sizes for mindfulness (FFMQ), self-compassion (SCS), self-efficacy (CDSES), resilience (BRS), perceived stress (PSS-10), kidney disease quality of life (KDQOL-36), and well-being (SWEMWBS). A third objective evaluates participant response to a personalized biometric report integrating app usage, actigraphy, and PPG-derived blood pressure trends, assessed via cognitive interviewing at the final visit.

Two structured health coaching check-ins are delivered by a qualified allied health professional - one at Week 1 (troubleshooting and onboarding) and one at Week 4 (motivational interviewing approach). Safety monitoring includes GAD-7 and PHQ-8 administered via the Calm Health app at 4 weeks, with structured follow-up protocols for severe or worsening scores. All study visits are conducted via televideo (Zoom).

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 18 to 80 years
• Diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for at least 6 months with at least two consecutive nephrology visits within the past year
• Receiving CKD care at Yale Medicine Nephrology or Yale New Haven Hospital
• Able to use a smartphone (study team will provide one if needed)
• Able to read and write English

Exclusion criteria

• Current meditation or mindfulness practice meeting or exceeding 70 minutes per week over the past month
• New or unstable psychopharmaceutical treatment in the past 2 months (stable maintenance therapy with no dose or medication changes for 8 or more weeks is acceptable)
• Current intensive psychiatric treatment, defined as psychiatric hospitalization in the past 6 months, intensive outpatient program, or inpatient rehabilitation
• Current or planned pregnancy in the next 6 months
• Average resting blood pressure exceeding 160/100 mmHg based on readings available in the medical record, with reconfirmation by additional readings prior to exclusion if only an isolated reading in this range is available