Nephrology and Telehealth: Now? or Now!

Kidney Care during COVID-19 in the UK: Perspectives of Healthcare Professionals on Impacts on Care Quality and Staff Well-Being

In light of the rapid changes in healthcare delivery due to COVID-19, this study explored kidney healthcare professionals' (HCPs) perspectives on the impact of these changes on care quality and staff well-being. Fifty-nine HCPs from eight NHS Trusts across England completed an online survey and eight took part in complementary semi-structured interviews between August 2020 and January 2021. Free-text survey responses and interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Themes described the rapid adaptations, concerns about care quality, benefits from innovations, high work pressure, anxiety and mental exhaustion in staff and the team as a well-being resource. Long-term retention and integration of changes and innovations can improve healthcare access and efficiency, but specification of conditions for its use is warranted. The impact of prolonged stress on renal HCPs also needs to be accounted for in quality planning. Results are further interpreted into a theoretical socio-technical framework.

Policy and Pandemic: The Changing Practice of Nephrology During the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Outbreak

The coronavirus (coronavirus disease-2019) pandemic has changed care delivery for patients with end-stage kidney disease. We explore the US healthcare system as it pertains to dialysis care, including existing policies, modifications implemented in response to the coronavirus disease-2019 crisis, and possible next steps for policy makers and nephrologists. This includes policies related to resource management, use of telemedicine, prioritization of dialysis access procedures, expansion of home dialysis modalities, administrative duties, and quality assessment. The government has already established policies that have instated some flexibilities to help providers focus their response to the crisis. However, future policy during and after the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic can bolster our ability to optimize care for patients with end-stage kidney disease. Key themes in this perspective are the importance of policy flexibility, clear strategies for emergency preparedness, and robust health systems that maximize accessibility and patient autonomy.

Preferences of ICT among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Undergoing Hemodialysis: An Ecuadorian Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to assess the frequency of use, and preferences regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs) among Ecuadorian patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) undergoing hemodialysis.

Methods

We conducted an anonymous cross-sectional survey-based study from January 2016 to April 2017, involving 393 patients with end-stage renal disease from 9 hemodialysis centers, in which they rated their use and preferences of various ICTs through a modified version of the Michigan Questionnaire. The questionnaire collected information regarding demographics, patients' interest in obtaining health-related information through ICTs, and interest in using ICTs as a potential way to communicate with their healthcare providers. A chi-square test for association and adjusted regression analyses were performed.

Results

Among all patients who participated, 64.3% reported owning a cellphone, with less than a third reporting active Internet connection. The most used ICT for obtaining information about CKD and/or hemodialysis was web-based Internet, followed by YouTube. SMS was rated the highest to receive and seek health-related information, followed by Facebook. Younger age and higher levels of education were associated with a higher overall usage of ICTs. Finally, more than half of the patients reported interest in using WhatsApp for communicating with their healthcare providers.

Conclusions

Understanding the preferences of ICTs among patients with CKD undergoing hemodialysis could help to improve their outcomes through the potential uses and benefits of ICTs. Further research is needed to assess their role in improving the care of patients with chronic diseases.

Telemedicine pharmacy services implementation in organ transplantation at a metropolitan academic medical center

Transplant patients represent a complex patient population for which telemedicine may allow enhanced access to the healthcare team and promote active engagement in health improvement. This retrospective study summarizes a multi-pronged approach that was instituted to implement a pharmacy telemedicine practice at our institution. Telemedicine visits included the provision of six key elements for our patients: (1) medication reconciliation, (2) vaccination history, (3) medication teaching, (4) pharmacotherapy review, (5) medication adherence, and (6) triage to other providers. From January through June 2017, 46 patients were registered for a visit (recipients n = 32 and living donors n = 14). Three-fourths of the patients who completed a visit connected using a mobile device. Time from discharge to the visit was 5.4 days. The average visit duration was 11.6 ± 8 minutes. Medication reconciliation was performed for 24 patients where 6 (25%) required medication list adjustments. An average of 1.2 ± 0.4 medication changes were updated in the medical record. During visits, patients were asked questions to assess adherence to their regimen, all patients responded favorably indicating that they were following instructions provided by the healthcare team. Telemedicine has the potential to improve the healthcare delivery model by providing increased patient-to-healthcare team interactions and access, which optimize engagement and outcomes.

Role of telehealth in renal replacement therapy education

The prevalence of end-stage renal disease is rising in the United States, which bears high financial and public health burden. The most common modality of renal replacement therapy (RRT) in the United States is in-center hemodialysis. Many patients report lack of comprehensive and timely education about their treatment options, which may preclude them from participating in home-based dialysis therapies and kidney transplantation evaluation. While RRT education has traditionally been provided in-person, the rise of telehealth has afforded new opportunities to improve upon the status quo. For example, technology-augmented RRT education has recently been implemented into telehealth nephrology clinics, informational websites and mobile applications maintained by professional organizations, patient-driven forums on social media, and multimodality programs. The benefits of technology in RRT education are increased access for geographically isolated and/or medically frail patients, versatility of content delivery, information repetition to enhance knowledge retention, and interpersonal connection for educational content and emotional support. Challenges center around privacy and accuracy of information sharing, in addition to differential access to technology due to age and socioeconomic status. A review of available scholarly and social media resources suggests that technology-aided delivery of education about treatment options for end-stage renal disease provides an important alternative and/or supplemental resource for patients and families.