Implementation and Evaluation of a Patient-Focused eHealth Intervention, My Kidneys My Health, in Primary Care and General Nephrology Clinics: Multimethods Study.

BACKGROUND

Care for mild to moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD) entails self-management from patients and clinical support from primary care and nephrology. To address the gap in self-management resources, My Kidneys My Health was codeveloped to support patients with CKD. Health care providers play a critical role in the implementation of patient resources; however, there is a gap in understanding providers' perspectives in this role.

OBJECTIVE

This study develops and evaluates strategies to implement My Kidneys My Health into routine primary care and general nephrology clinical care.

METHODS

Health care providers working in Alberta, Canada, who support patients with CKD were invited to participate in our multistep study, guided by the Quality Implementation Framework. In step 1, we followed qualitative descriptive methodology to identify barriers and enablers to implementation using a directed content analysis and a deductive coding approach. Participants were invited to complete semistructured interviews from October 2021 to May 2022. In step 2, we identified, prioritized, codeveloped, and launched implementation strategies based on step 1 results using behavior change theory. Participants were invited to use the materials during the implementation period (May to October 2022). Website engagement was tracked through Google Analytics and document distribution tracking. In step 3, we conducted follow-up interviews with participants (October to December 2022) to evaluate implementation based on the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance framework, following the same qualitative approach as step 1. Effectiveness was out of the scope of this study.

RESULTS

A total of 16 health care providers participated in step 1 qualitative interviews (8 from nephrology clinics and 5 from primary care or nonambulatory care). Participants shared an individual-level readiness and interest in sharing My Kidneys My Health with their patients. The key barriers to implementation included awareness, memory, time, motivation, and innovation accessibility. Implementation strategies were co-designed and implemented by step 1 participants (ie, educational sessions and materials, reminders, and implementation coaching). Notably, 9 health care providers participated in step 3 qualitative interviews. Participants shared their approach to tailoring implementation based on their patients and integrating the resource into their current practices. The resources developed were highly used by participants, with positive feedback on their usability and accessibility. Participants expressed motivation to continue sharing My Kidneys My Health; however, awareness and accessibility require further adaptations that can improve sustainability of implementation. Our rigorous approach allowed us to address behavior change and sustainability of implementation of My Kidneys My Health, as well as identify appropriate and tailored implementation strategies.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a readiness to implement self-management supports for patients with early-stage CKD. A theory-informed approach and strategic implementation strategies can support sustainability.