Kidney transplant recipient perspectives on telehealth during the COVID‐19 pandemic

• DOI: 10.1111/tri.13934
• Publication Date: 2021-06-11T17:15:52Z
• Authors: Brooke M Huuskes; Nicole Scholes‐Ro...; Chandana Guha; Amanda Baumgart; Germaine Wong; John Kanellis; Steve Chadban; Katherine A. Barr...; Andrea K Viecelli; Carmel M. Hawley; Peter G. Kerr; Patrick Toby Coates; Noa Amir; Allison Tong
• Keywords: Telehealth; Pandemic; Preparedness

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the delivery of health services. Telehealth allows care without in-person contacts and minimizes risk vial transmission. We aimed to describe perspectives kidney transplant recipients on benefits, challenges, risks telehealth. conducted five online focus groups with 34 who had experienced a telehealth appointment. Transcripts were thematically analyzed. identified themes: minimizing burden (convenient easy, efficiency appointments, reducing exposure risk, limiting work disruptions, alleviating financial burden); attuning individual context (depending stability health, respect patient choice care, ensuring conducive environment); protecting personal connection trust (requires established rapport clinicians, hampering honest conversations, diminished attentiveness incidental interactions, reassurance follow-up, missed opportunity share lived experience); empowerment readiness (increased responsibility for self-management, confidence in physical assessment, mental preparedness, forced independence); navigating technical challenges (interrupted communication, new daunting technologies, cognizant digital literacy). is convenient time, financial, overall treatment burden. should ideally be available after pandemic, provided by trusted nephrologist supported resources help patients prepare appointments.