Electronic patient-reported outcomes in clinical kidney practice (ePRO Kidney): a process evaluation of educational support for clinicians

BACKGROUND: Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly mandated in kidney care to incorporate patients’ perspectives. OBJECTIVES: We assessed whether educational support for clinicians using electronic (e)PROs could enhance person-centered care. DESIGN: A process evaluation, using a mixed methods longitudinal comparative concurrent design was undertaken of educational support to clinicians on routine use of ePROs. In two urban home dialysis clinics in Alberta, Canada, patients completed ePROs. At the implementation site, clinicians were provided with ePROs and clinician-oriented education via voluntary workshops. At the non-implementation site, neither were provided. Person-centered care was measured using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care-20 (PACIC-20). METHODS: Longitudinal structural equation models (SEMs) compared change in overall PACIC scores. The interpretive description approach, using thematic analysis of qualitative data, further evaluated processes of implementation. RESULTS: Data were collected from questionnaires completed by 543 patients, 4 workshops, 15 focus groups, and 37 interviews. There was no overall difference in person-centered care throughout the study, including after delivery of workshops. The longitudinal SEMs revealed substantial individual-level variability in overall PACIC trajectories. However, there was no improvement at the implementation site and no difference between the sites during both the pre- and post-workshop periods. Similar results were obtained for each PACIC domain. Qualitative analysis provided insights into why there was no substantial difference between sites: (1) clinicians wanted to see kidney symptoms, not quality of life, (2) workshops were tailored to clinicians’ educational needs, not patients’ needs, and (3) variable use of ePRO data by clinicians. CONCLUSION: Training clinicians on use of ePROs is complex and likely only part of what is required to enhance person-centered care. REGISTRATION: NCT03149328. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03149328