Improving safety and efficiency in care: multi-stakeholders' perceptions associated with a peritoneal dialysis...

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Limited understanding of virtual care's impact on healthcare systems for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.
• Growing literature on remote home management for PD, but system-level effects are under-explored.
• Need to assess stakeholder perceptions of remote monitoring solutions for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients on PD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore stakeholder perceptions of a remote monitoring and tracking solution for home-based PD.
• To understand how virtual care impacts patient safety, efficiency, and overall experience in CKD management.
• To identify key elements of successful virtual care solutions in chronic disease management.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design utilizing semi-structured interviews.
• Involved 25 diverse stakeholders including patients, caregivers, providers, decision-makers, and vendors.
• Thematic analysis was employed to interpret narrative data.

Main Results:

• Theme 1: Data utilization for patient monitoring and timely interventions to ensure safety.
• Theme 2: Enhanced operational efficiencies and improved supply management for patients.
• Patients actively managed their CKD, ordering and tracking dialysis supplies online, contributing to safety and convenience.

Conclusions:

• Virtual care solutions enable active patient participation in managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) at home.
• These solutions enhance efficiency for both patients and healthcare providers, offering a patient-centric model.
• The virtual care approach shows promise as a blueprint for managing other chronic diseases remotely.