With technological advances occurring faster and faster, learning about your health conditions is becoming increasingly easier. Healthy.io, a company based out of Boston, Massachusetts, is taking it another step further to help chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. The company has created the Minuteful Kidney test, a smartphone-enabled test that allows people to monitor their kidney health. Learn more about what it is, how it works, and what benefits it offers. 

What is the Minuteful Kidney test?

The Minuteful Kidney test phone app and kit allow people to test themselves at home for signs of CKD. It is the first test to receive FDA clearance across all current iOS and Android smartphone devices. 

Healthy.io transforms the smartphone camera into a medical device that can identify a protein in the blood called albumin, and determine the albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR). Typically conducted by a medical practitioner, an ACR test is considered a standard of care for detecting early signs of CKD. 

What are the benefits?

With CKD on the rise, the need for testing is also rising. The Minuteful Kidney test has many benefits to patients including: 

• Being done in the home can improve testing adherence. One research study found that people who were given the option of using the at-home kit were more likely to complete testing compared to those who had to go to a clinical laboratory. 
• The testing is simple and quick. One patient states, “It was easy to do and really easy to upload everything to my phone so that the results could go to me and to my doctor.”
• Underserved communities can more easily monitor their kidney health. Some research shows people of lower socioeconomic status are more likely to have CKD, as well as less access to standard healthcare and treatment.
• Testing at home may be safer. One patient says, “Usually when you go to the doctor’s office, you pick up some [virus or other illness] that you didn’t have the day you came in.”

According to Paula LeClair, the U.S. general manager for Healthy.io, once the company has its U.S. supply chain up and running, both insurers and doctors will be able to order the test kits for patients. If you are interested in using the Minuteful Kidney test, reach out to Healthy.io to learn how to get your kit. 

*Radcliffe, S. (2022, July 18). New Home Kidney Test Uses Smartphone to Monitor Kidney Health. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/new-home-kidney-test-uses-smartphone-to-monitor-kidney-health