Table 1.
Characteristics of included articles
| Author (publication year) | Study aim | Participants (N) | Sampling | Country of origin | Data collection method | Interview format | Analysis approach | Telemedicine tool | Summary of findings | Funding source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Christopher Sieverdes 1 et al. (2015) | To evaluate the attitudes, acceptance, and preferences of African American kidney transplant recipients, kidney transplant donors, and potential donors who learn about living kidney donation through an mHealth program. | Deceased/living donor KTR and living donors/potential donors | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Focus groups | Face-to-face | Directed content analysis |
A future mHealth living donor kidney transplantation program tailored for AA dialysis patients eligible for transplantation. |
There was strong support for mobile technology use, with preferences for various media formats and user-friendly designs. Recipients showed more willingness than donors to spend time on education, sought to develop conversation skills, and preferred diverse information sources. Donors prioritized hearing directly from other living donors. | National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant DK 098777 and the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute, with an academic home at MUSC, through NIH Grant Number UL1 TR000062 |
| John Christopher Sieverdes 2 et al. (2015) | To explore barriers and perceptions of physical activity behaviors and gauge interest in using mHealth in a physical activity wellness program for dialysis patients on the kidney transplant waiting list. | dialysis patients on the kidney transplant waiting list | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Semi-structured in-depth interviews | Face-to-face | Thematic analysis | Mobile health–delivered physical activity program | Study revealed high interest for using mHealth to promote physical activity among patients. Self-monitoring and self-efficacy were related to the perceived benefit of using mobile technology. | No funding |
| Ajay Israni et al. (2016) | To determine how KTRs remember to take medications and assess perceptions about adherence and willingness to use a mobile app to improve adherence. | KTR | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face | Thematic analysis | Hypothetical, mobile phone app to improve medication adherence | Participants cited avoiding dialysis, staying alive, and preventing rejection as motivations for adherence. Barriers included forgetting, depression, financial concerns, and routine disruptions. Interest in a proposed app was mixed, with concerns about accessibility and alert fatigue. | No funding |
| Ann K. Eno BSet al. (2019) | To explore transplant providers’ perspectives on using mobile health (mHealth) technology for follow-up care of living kidney donors | HCP | Convenience sampling | United States of America | Semi-structured in-depth interviews | Telephone | Thematic analysis | mHealth technology for living kidney donor follow-up | mHealth was seen as a more convenient way to communicate with the transplant center, improve engagement through lab value tracking, and streamline the donor follow-up process. | No funding |
| José Côté et al. (2019) | To document how Kidney transplant recipients experienced a web-based tailored nursing intervention and to explore how they self-managed medication intake. | KTR | Convenience sampling | Canada | Focus groups and Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face and Telephone | Thematic analysis | A web-based tailored nursing Intervention. The intervention consisted of three asynchronous interactive computer sessions, each 10 to 30 min long, hosted by a virtual nurse. | Nearly all participants indicated that they would recommend the web-based tailored nursing intervention to new KTRs. It helped address uncertainties and supported self-management of immunosuppressive therapy. | No funding |
| Marie-Françoise Malo et al. (2024) | To capture the participants’ experiences of the KEeP ACTIVe Club. | KTR | Purposive sampling | Canada | Semi-structured interviews | Telephone and video conference | Thematic analysis | The KEeP ACTIVe Club intervention consisted of virtual physical activity session and online social support session | The KEeP ACTIVe Club motivated participants to engage in regular physical activity, especially through tailored training for KTRS. | CDTRP Research Innovation Grant |
| Tara O’Brien et al. (2020) | To explore the perceptions of kidney transplant recipients who use mHealth apps for self-management of care. | KTR | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face | Content analysis | One mHealth app | Most KTRs (78%) had not used mHealth apps. Preferred features included medication tracking, nutrition monitoring, personalized feedback, and a user-friendly interface. | American Nephrology Nurses Association |
| Christina Nguyen et al. (2020) |
To identify the challenges and strategies related to medication adherence in AYA, and to gather stakeholder views on ePillbox features and coaching support. |
AYA with Kidney transplant and parents and HCP | Purposive sampling and Convenience sampling | United States of America and Canada | Focus groups | Via telephone or videoconference | Content analysis | ePillbox and a related website for medication monitoring, personal coaching and action plans | Participants suggested improving ePillbox usability through customizable alerts, a companion website, and communication-supporting features. | National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the grant number R01 DK110737 |
| Cecilie Varsi et al. (2021) | To investigate the perceived benefits and challenges of using video consultations in outpatient renal transplant recipient follow-up from the perspectives of patients and health care providers | KTR and HCP | Purposive sampling | Norway | Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face and Telephone | Thematic analysis | Video consultation using Norwegian Health Network (NHN) Cisco meeting application | The results indicate that the benefits experienced by patients as well as HCP surpassed any technological challenges encountered. Main benefits were less focus on being chronically ill and economic benefits. | No funding |
| Ellen M. Castle et al. (2021) | To evaluate the usability (functionality, navigation, and interactivity) of the patient-facing ExeRTiOn online resource | KTR and HCP | Purposive sampling | United Kingdom | Semi-structured and think-aloud interviews | Face-to-face | Thematic analysis | ExeRTiOn is a digital resource for weight-gain prevention support | The ExeRTiOn online resource has the potential to provide new KTRs with much needed information to foster self-management and mitigate the fear-avoidance behavior that is often associated with returning to physical activity after kidney transplantation. | No funding |
| John C. Sieverdes et al. (2021) | To evaluate the acceptability of the LOVED program to help black kidney transplant wait-list patients advocate for a living donor kidney transplant | Black kidney transplant wait-listed patients | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Focus groups | Video conferencing | Inductive analysis Thematic analysis | The LOVED program is a distance-based, mobile health program designed to help Black kidney transplant wait-list patients advocate for a living donor | Participation was overall a positive experience and participants were more willing to ask for a kidney. | NIH grant DK 098777 and the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute (SCTR), with an academic home at the Medical University of South Carolina, Clinical & Translational Science Award NIH/National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), grant UL1RR029882. |
| Brooke M Huuskes et al. (2021) | To describe the perspectives of kidney transplant recipients on the benefits, challenges, and risks of telehealth | KTR | Purposive sampling | Australia | Focus groups | ZOOM videoconferencing | Thematic analysis | Telehealth consultations either by a telephone call, or video call between patients and physicians | KTRs found telehealth convenient, time-efficient, and protective against infections, with less disruption to daily life. Trust and familiarity with their nephrologist supported effective communication. | The University of Sydney Robinson Fellowship. N.S.R. is supported by the NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship (ID1190850) |
| James Tang et al. (2022) | To describe the perspectives and experiences of eHealth among kidney transplant recipients | KTR | Purposive sampling | Australia | Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face | Thematic analysis | Multiple eHealth platforms: Websites /Apps/Reminders/social media/forums/Telehealth /Texting /Email | Recipients perceived eHealth as helpful for care and self-management but faced challenges with navigation, privacy, and misinformation. Accessible, personalized, and secure eHealth could enhance satisfaction and outcomes. | No funding |
| Liise K. Kayler et al. (2022) | To improve understanding of dialysis staff’s transplant education practices, as well as the potential value of video-based interventions. | HCP | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Focus groups | Face-to-face | Thematic analysis | Educational videos designed specifically for dialysis patients | Five key barriers to transplant education were identified, including reliance on a single educator, uninformed dialysis staff despite their availability; and patient disinterest due to poor timing, feeling overwhelmed, and fears about transplantation. | National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number UL1TR001412 |
| Kara Schick-Makaroff et al. (2022) | To explore the essential priorities and preferences of KTR and HCP to inform the development of a smartphone app to improve immunosuppression adherence and communication | KTR and HCP | Convenience sampling | Canada | Focus groups and Semi-structured interviews | Face-to-face and via Skype | Thematic analysis | Mobile health (mHealth) app for medication adherence | HCP prioritized improving communication over immunosuppression adherence. Recipients emphasized the importance of choice, independence, and better access to their health information over monitoring-focused solutions. | CSTAstellasT3 grant |
| Alexis J. Carter et al. (2023) | To explore the perspectives of participants regarding the potential shift from in-person to virtual LDN. | KTR and advocates | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Nominal group technique | Virtually via Zoom | Inductive Thematic analysis | Real-time video conferencing to deliver transplant education | Individuals prioritized factors concerning program fidelity, accessibility, interpersonal relationships, and knowledge. Overall, when surveyed on program preference, most NGT participants preferred in-person visits to telehealth. | NIH/NIDDK R01DK125509 |
| Ellie Kim et al. (2024) | To explore and understand the experiences and preferences of living kidney donors regarding the use of telemedicine and in-person visits during the donor evaluation process. | Living kidney donor candidates or previous donors | Purposive sampling | United States of America | Semi-structured in-depth interviews | Telephone | Inductive Thematic analysis | Synchronous video visits, used within a hybrid telemedicine/inperson model for evaluating living kidney donors | Reducing financial burdens, enhancing scheduling flexibility, supporting information with technology, visual aids and key role of the coordinator were main items. | Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) under grant number R39OT37885 |
KTR: kidney transplant recipient, HCP: health care provider, AYA: adolescent and young adult, LDN: living donor navigator program, NGT: nominal group technique, AA: African American, LOVED: Living organ video educated donors