Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis of the Comparative Effectiveness of Self-Management Support Strategies for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND

The global prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) has continued to rise over time. Pharmacological therapy is the mainstay of conventional CKD treatment; however, many CKD patients find it difficult to adhere to their medication regimen.

OBJECTIVE

To systematically evaluate and compare the effects of various self-management support strategies for patients with CKD.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and Scopus to identify quasi-randomized and RCTs comparing the effectiveness of different self-management support strategies in CKD patients, The search spanned from database inception to June 24, 2025. Two reviewers independently screened the literature, extracted information, assessed the quality of studies, and we performed analysis using RevMan 5.0 and STATA 14.0 software.

RESULTS

Eighty-one studies were included, examining 10 strategies. Compared to conventional interventions, face-to-face combined tele-guidance, group visits, tele-guidance, and multi-component structured interventions significantly improved patients' self-efficacy. Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) of different self-management support strategies influencing self-efficacy ranked in the top three were face-to-face combined tele-guidance, group visits and tele-guidance. Empowerment interventions, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and tele-guidance enhanced quality of life compared to conventional interventions. The SUCRA for quality of life ranked highest for empowerment, CBT and face-to-face combined tele-guidance. Additionally, we found that these strategies were beneficial in improving patients' blood pressure, IDWG, renal disease knowledge, and self-management.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION: The study offers evidence on effective self-management support strategies for CKD patients, highlighting face-to-face combined tele-guidance might be the most effective intervention for increasing self-efficacy, while empowerment might be the most effective intervention for increasing quality of life in CKD patients. These findings can help healthcare providers design better programs to improve patient outcomes. However, more high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm findings.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42024596581.