Beyond the hospital: what is the role of social networks in acute kidney injury recovery?

Social networks are vital in providing emotional, practical and informational support that may reduce the risk of readmissions and improve recovery outcomes for patients with acute kidney injuryBackground: acute kidney injury (AKI) is a prevalent and serious condition which can lead to significant short- and long-term health risks—including mortality, readmissions and progression to chronic kidney disease.Aims: this study explored the literature around the role of social networks in self-management support for patients recovering from AKI.Methods: a systematic review was conducted using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to examine studies that included social networks and self-management in AKI.Findings: a 3-step search strategy was used in this literature search. An initial limited search of MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Psycho info and AMED was undertaken to identify articles on the topic, followed by an analysis of the text words contained in the titles and abstracts of retrieved papers and of the keywords used to describe the articles. After implementing the search strategy no applicable literature was found. Literature on AKI recovery lacks insight into how informal and formal social networks supports patients in the post-AKI period.Conclusions: further research is needed to explore whether social network support can improve AKI recovery.