Led by What Works Centre for Wellbeing, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and CÚRAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices.
In this project, the team set out to understand how remote kidney monitoring devices could be designed and deployed to maximise patient and staff trust and confidence. They co-produced Experience Statements that describe what people living with kidney disease and clinical teams want from technology-enabled remote monitoring. They brought this insight together to develop five Service Principles for designing and deploying remote kidney monitoring in practice.
Why this project
Sustained advances in innovation and technology will make remote monitoring of kidney function a real possibility in the near future. Although there aren’t devices approved for use in the NHS that allow this to happen just yet, we know there are devices in development that will ultimately enable remote monitoring of key measures of kidney function, such as levels of potassium, creatinine and potentially immunosuppressants like tacrolimus.
This project looks at remote monitoring through the dual lenses of people living with kidney disease and multi-professional renal health care clinicians. It focuses on what remote monitoring features are most important to consider when thinking about people’s wellbeing, life satisfaction and quality of care perspectives.
What they did
The team partnered with THIS Labs whose online platform, Thiscovery, provided an engaging way for people living with kidney disease and renal health professionals to share their views. Participants were asked to imagine that remote monitoring devices were available and approved for use within the NHS. They were asked how the availability of this technology might change their experience of kidney function monitoring. What would be the biggest benefits? What concerns would they have?
They heard from 80 people living with kidney disease and 40 renal health professionals and summarised comments into draft Experience Statements. They went back to participants to refine these and gauge strength of support.
From this, and building on work from a previous Lab project, they developed Service Principles to bring attention to what is important when making decisions about how to design and deploy a service for remote monitoring of kidney function.
The resource
The team brought this insight together into a guide for device developers, evaluators and health care organisations. The guide isn’t specific to a particular device or technology platform. It describes the experiences health professionals and patients want from remote monitoring of kidney function within patient care pathways.
The team’s hope is that this guide is used to inform decisions on designing, evaluating, authorising and/or funding remote kidney monitoring technology. This project shows how, when views of patients and renal health care professionals are considered, it is possible to make a real and sustained difference in how care is delivered and experienced.