Reinbow Your Happy Kidney: The Innovative Solution to Support Dialysis Patients to Reach Their Nutritional Goals

Introduction

Dietitians in dialysis centers are regularly confronted with the low interest of the patients suffering from chronic renal disease to nutritional recommendations with a prevalence of under nutrition in dialysis centers of around 30% and an almost equivalent percentage of diabetic patients, which led us to reflect on the relevance of the nutritional tools / supports offered to patients in their daily support and the need to find innovative therapeutic tools in order to improve their health.

Thanks to the experience of Diabète Gourmand®, a free nutritional application which allows diabetic patients (or those concerned with their nutritional balance) to compose their meals, to quantify the quantities of nutrients consumed and in particular carbohydrates in order to optimize the doses of insulin to inject, we wanted to renew the adventure and created REINBOW Your Happy Kidney®.

This new nutritional application, like Diabète Gourmand®, had been developed for chronic renal pathologies mainly. Launched in April 2019 and free, Reinbow® allows dialysis patients to indicate the food consumed throughout the day, thanks to a food base illustrated with 1,800 foods photographed in 3 quantities (each patient can personalize and improved the food base data). The energy, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, salt, liquid, potassium and phosphorus intake are automatically calculated and updated. These meals are saved and can be seen in the calendar.

News

Customizable Culinary Experience

Because the daily life of dialysis patients must keep flavor, color and pleasure of sharing convivial moments with family or friends, a section dedicated to cooking offers a hundred illustrated, balanced and very simple recipes to cook that can be filtered depending on the, Preparation time and the Difficulty but also base on Cost of the recipe and food preferences (gluten-free, pork-free, vegan, meat- free, vegetarian, sugar-free, lactose-free, alcohol-free). In addition to edit the shopping lists, the section “In my fridge” allows you to compose anti-waste, tasty, quick and economical recipes from the remaining food. This wealth of content makes Reinbow® the nutrition tool “prevention and pleasure” which makes life easier for patients but also guide the Dietician, the whole medical staff and Wife/Husband, which can even find the way to motivate the most reluctant to cook and regain the taste for eating while maintaining their home autonomy.

A Constant Updated Application

Via the ‘Articles’ tab of the application, users can consult nutrition and health news as well as advice to help them to live dietary constraints more easily.

This innovative therapeutic tool can prevent the risk of under nutrition and disorders linked to fluid retention and mineral salts variations. Users feedback and comments are very positive. Testimony of one of them, Mr. B: “Having

been on dialysis for less than a year, I left the hospital with a long list of prohibited foods. This application, discovered in October 2019, has radically changed my life! Today I eat (almost) everything without putting myself in danger. Each morning I indicate in the app what I plan to eat during the day, I observe the expected results (potassium, phosphorus ...) and possibly modify my diet for the day. For example, I am going to replace Comté (cheese) with less phosphorus one, goat cheese”.

An App Approved by Health Experts

In addition to be a nutritional follow-up aid for the patient, Reinbow is used by health expoerts such as nephrologists, dietitians and nurses during their consultations and during patient’s therapeutic education workshops. Reinbow will integrate soon new modules for the nutritional management of patients with chronic renal failure (not yet on dialysis) namely lithiasis, peritoneal dialysis and transplant recipients, still in collaboration with the existing Reinbow scientific committee composed of Pr. Fouque D, Dr Chauveau P, Pr Canaud B, Dr Tostivint I, Dr Magnan E, Dr Bataille S, Mr Trolonge S and Mme Dousseaux MP. Some studies are planned in order to validate the effectiveness of Reinbow on the nutritional / health and medico-economic effect.

With a community of more than 1,500 users, Reinbow is currently supported by Aider Santé (Dialysis Center), SFNDT (French society of Nephrology, dialysis and transplant) but also associations: France Rein, LUNNE (Lithiase Urinaire Network), Trans-Forme, the Young Nephrologists Club, the Kidney Foundation, Dr Schär, Fresenius Kabi and Vifor Pharma laboratories.