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. 2022 Aug 16;10(3):E746-E754.
doi: 10.9778/cmajo.20210332. Print 2022 Jul-Sep.

An eHealth self-management intervention for adults with chronic kidney disease, My Kidneys My Health: a mixed-methods study

Maoliosa Donald  1 , Heather Beanlands  2 , Sharon Straus  2 , Michelle Smekal  2 , Sarah Gil  2 , Meghan J Elliott  2 , Lori Harwood  2 , Blair Waldvogel  2 , Maria Delgado  2 , Dwight Sparkes  2 , Allison Tong  2 , Allan Grill  2 , Marta Novak  2 , Matthew T James  2 , K Scott Brimble  2 , Karen Tu  2 , Brenda R Hemmelgarn  2
Affiliations

An eHealth self-management intervention for adults with chronic kidney disease, My Kidneys My Health: a mixed-methods study

Maoliosa Donald et al. CMAJ Open. .

Abstract

Background: There is limited research of electronic tools for self-management for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We sought to evaluate participant engagement, perceived self-efficacy and website usage in a preliminary evaluation of My Kidneys My Health, a patient-facing eHealth tool in Canada.

Methods: We conducted an explanatory sequential mixed-methods study of adults with CKD who were not on kidney replacement therapy and who had access to My Kidneys My Health for 8 weeks. Outcomes included acceptance (measured by the Technology Acceptance Model), self-efficacy (measured by the Chronic Disease Self-Efficacy Scale [CDSES]) and website usage patterns (captured using Google Analytics). We analyzed participant interviews using qualitative content analysis.

Results: Twenty-nine participants with CKD completed baseline questionnaires, of whom 22 completed end-of-study questionnaires; data saturation was achieved with 15 telephone interviews. Acceptance was high, with more than 70% of participants agreeing or strongly agreeing that the website was easy to use and useful. Of the 22 who completed end-of-study questionnaires, 18 (82%) indicated they would recommend its use to others and 16 (73%) stated they would use the website in the future. Average scores for website satisfaction and look and feel were 7.7 (standard deviation [SD] 2.0) and 8.2 (SD 2.0) out of 10, respectively. The CDSES indicated that participants gained an increase in CKD information. Interviewed participants reported that the website offered valuable information and interactive tools for patients with early or newly diagnosed CKD, or for those experiencing changes in health status. Popular website pages and interactive features included Food and Diet, What is CKD, My Question List and the Depression Screener.

Interpretation: Participants indicated that the My Kidneys My Health website provided accessible content and tools that may improve self-efficacy and support in CKD self-management. Further evaluation of the website's effectiveness in supporting self-management among a larger, more heterogenous population is warranted.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:
Study flow diagram.
Figure 2:
Figure 2:
Results from the Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire after 8 weeks of access to the My Kidneys My Health website. Note: CKD = chronic kidney disease.
Figure 3:
Figure 3:
Categories of website engagement, with illustrative quotations. Note: CKD = chronic kidney disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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