JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

eHealth-communication interventions have been shown to offer people living with chronic kidney disease (CKD) the opportunity to embrace dialysis therapies with greater confidence, the potential to obtain better clinical outcomes, and an increased quality of life. eHealth is an emerging field that offers diverse, flexible designs and delivery options. However, issues related to participation in eHealth-communication among patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) have been rarely described.

Objective:

This scoping review aimed to identify the available evidence on patient participation in communicative eHealth interventions and the association between interventions and electronic health records (EHRs). We wanted to map the participative role of people living with CKD and undergoing HD and describe the barriers and facilitators of patient involvement in eHealth-communication with healthcare professionals.

Methods:

The Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for conducting a scoping review was employed in accordance with an a priori published protocol. We completed a systematic search for published studies, dissertations, and theses at the doctoral level published up to May 6, 2022, in five databases.

Results:

Seven peer-reviewed articles were included. The main result was a low patient participative role and a vaguely described link to EHRs. The key participative facilitators were availability and access to the intervention; security, trust, and confidence; patient knowledge of health situation and use of self-care; and patient preparedness of “what’s-to-come,” in relation to others. The key participative barriers were availability and access to information, mistrust and unsafety, knowledge of health situations, self-care, and relational issues. All barriers and facilitators were related to health literacy.

Conclusions:

This scoping review summarizes four eHealth-communication interventions developed and evaluated in various studies involving patients undergoing hemodialysis. There is a knowledge gap between low levels of patient participation in eHealth-communication and patients’ limited access to EHRs. eHealth-communication interventions should implement patient participation and focus on the fact that different modalities of eHealth-communication can complement face-to-face communication.