e-Mental Health Intervention Preferences Among Informal Caregivers of Adults Living with Chronic Kidney Disease: Semistructured Interview Study

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not applicable - qualitative study

• Effect Size: Not applicable - qualitative study

• Primary Outcome: Four main categories of e-mental health intervention preferences: Design preferences, Content preferences, Support preferences, and Dissemination preferences

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: 13 subcategories identified across 4 main preference domains

• Confidence Interval: Not applicable - qualitative study

Clinical Application

Findings provide practical framework for developing acceptable e-mental health interventions, though implementation requires further research Relevant to Australian nephrology services and caregiver support programs; could inform digital health initiatives under Australia's Digital Health Strategy and complement existing kidney health programs Informal caregivers of adults with chronic kidney disease, particularly those experiencing mental health difficulties

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Informal caregivers of people living with chronic kidney disease commonly experience mental health difficulties. However, there is currently limited access to scalable psychological interventions such as those using e-mental health platforms. Furthermore, there is an absence of such interventions tailored for this group of caregivers, which may limit acceptability. OBJECTIVE: To inform future e-mental health intervention development, this study aimed to explore preferences for e-mental health interventions among informal caregivers of people living with chronic kidney disease. METHODS: A total of 13 informal caregivers of people living with chronic kidney disease participated in semistructured interviews. Eligible informal caregivers lived in the United Kingdom and were recruited via nonprofit organizations and social media advertisements. Semistructured interviews followed a topic guide exploring caregivers' e-mental health intervention preferences. Data were analyzed using manifest content analysis. RESULTS: A total of 4 categories and 13 subcategories were generated. "Design preferences" illustrates key intervention design features that were important to caregivers, such as involving caregivers and other interest-holders in the design process. "Content preferences" describes the information caregivers valued in an intervention, such as information about chronic kidney disease and resources to support caregivers. "Support preferences" reflects the characteristics of support caregivers preferred if support was available as part of the intervention, such as peer support and providing support that accommodates individual preferences. Lastly, "Dissemination preferences" describes methods caregivers recommended to promote intervention uptake, such as engaging communication strategies and trusted and accessible sources of information. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers identified a number of e-mental health intervention design and delivery preferences that should be considered when developing e-mental health interventions for caregivers of people living with chronic kidney disease. To ensure such interventions are acceptable, feasible, and relevant, co-design approaches should be adopted during the intervention development process.