Virtual doctor aims to boost kidney transplant awareness
NCT ID NCT06841016
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tested a computer program that acts like a virtual doctor to teach people with advanced chronic kidney disease about kidney transplants. 148 patients took part. The goal was to see if talking with this virtual agent could increase their interest in considering a transplant.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Virtual healthcare agent (conversational software)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this approach could help more patients with advanced kidney disease learn about and consider transplant options.
- What could go wrong
- This was a small pilot study, not a treatment trial. The virtual agent may not change patients' decisions or improve health outcomes.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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148 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Mar 2024
- Finished
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Dec 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 y/o able to provide consent * Advanced CKD * English speaking * Penn Medicine patient Exclusion Criteria: * Vulnerable populations
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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