A Web Application for Improving Communication on Hemodialysis Rounds

Voicing Individual Concerns for Engagement in Hemodialysis (VOICE-HD): a Web Application for Rounds

To evaluate a web application tool that hemodialysis patients can use outside of dialysis time to log and prioritize their concerns for the nephrologists. Specifically, the investigators will compare the usability of a web application tool to a structured paper form. The investigators will also use data from semi-structured interviews to better understand the experience and acceptability of the web app among patient participants randomized to the web application and among participating nephrologists.

Primary outcome

-Usability (effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction)

Secondary outcomes

-Quality of the patient-physician interaction (Communication Assessment Tool (CAT-14))

Usability is defined as Effectiveness (>70%)

• Number of people submitting a concern/ number of people with opportunity to submit a concern
• Number of concerns entered/number of times concern was satisfactorily addressed

Efficiency

• Proportion of non-completed tasks (<70%)
• The amount of time to complete one concern

Satisfaction

• Semistructured interviews
• Usability survey

Inclusion Criteria:

• Chronic in-center hemodialysis patients in Edmonton, Alberta and Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Able to provide consent, understand and read English or have a family member that can do this for them

Exclusion Criteria:

• Planning to change modality within the next year