Online peer mentoring improves activation, quality of life scores in patients with CKD
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Patients with stage 4 or 5 chronic kidney disease who received online peer mentoring had improved patient activation measure and kidney disease quality of life scores, according to a speaker at the virtual ASN Kidney Week.
“Our group has previously demonstrated that online peer mentoring improves patient activation and quality of life,” Mujahed M. Dauleh, MD, a fellow in the division of nephrology at Penn State College of Medicine, said during the presentation. “The goal of our study is to evaluate the correlation between patient activation and quality of life among patients with CKD who received online peer mentoring.”
Dauleh and colleagues randomly assigned 155 patients with CKD stage 4 or 5 to an information group, a face-to-face mentoring group or an online mentoring group and measured patient activation measure (PAM) and kidney disease quality of life (KDQoL-36) scores at baseline and after 18 months. All three groups received a handbook with detailed information about kidney disease. Dauleh said that in the online program, patients and mentors accessed a secure portal for an initial visit. In this visit, the mentor gave an overview of the program and helped establish goals and expectations. In subsequent weekly communications, the patient posted weekly action plans, questions and concerns. A program coordinator monitored the posts to ensure information and answers were accurate. Researchers wrote that baseline scores and demographic characteristics were similar among the three groups.
PAM and KDQoL-36 scores improved from baseline among patients who received online peer mentoring. PAM score improvements (slope estimate: 5.65) correlated with KDQoL-36 improvements in the effects of kidney disease (Pearson coefficient: 0.36, P = .04), burden of kidney disease (Pearson coefficient: 0.44, P = .01), symptoms and problems of kidney disease (Pearson coefficient: 0.47, P = .005) and physical composite score (Pearson coefficient: 0.35, P = .04) components. Patient KDQoL-36 scores improved from baseline in the effects of kidney disease (slope estimate: 4.13), burden of kidney disease (slope estimate: 5.44), symptoms and problems of kidney disease (slope estimate: 6), SF-12 physical composite score (slope estimate: 2.50) and SF-12 mental composite score (slope estimate: 3.46).
“Among CKD patients who receive online [peer mentoring] PM, there is a correlation between the improvements in PAM and KDQoL, suggesting that improved QoL may be a result of improved activation,” researchers wrote.
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Dauleh MM, et al. Correlation between patient activation and quality of life among patients with CKD. Presented at: ASN Kidney Week. Oct. 22-25, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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