Abstract: SA-PO0993
Focus Group Data Revealed American Kidney Fund's Interactive Course Is an Effective Tool and Empowers Patients
Session Information
- Educational Research
October 24, 2026 | Location: Exhibit Hall A, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Educational Research
- 1000 Educational Research
Authors
- Holkeboer, Caroline, American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Maryland, United States
- Andracchio, Lauren, American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Maryland, United States
- Woolley, Ryan, American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Maryland, United States
- Spigler, Michael, American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Maryland, United States
- Lakhani, Shahzia A., American Kidney Fund, Rockville, Maryland, United States
Background
Accessible, easy-to-understand content can help people navigate a new diagnosis. However, adult attention span typically decreases after 15 to 20 minutes.1 To meet the needs of adult learners, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) created Step Forward: Living Well with Stage 3 Kidney Disease, a mobile-friendly course that helps people better understand chronic kidney disease (CKD) in a manageable and interactive format. Within six months of launching the course, AKF conducted a focus group to assess the effectiveness of the course.
Methods
The virtual focus group included five people living with CKD who had completed the Step Forward course prior to the focus group. AKF recruited participants by email and selected a diverse group of people representing various age ranges, racial backgrounds, education levels, and disease progression. The focus group included research questions related to course content, design, and overall impact. Participant responses were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed.
Results
Findings revealed several themes from participants' feedback: 1) The Step Forward course provides a helpful introduction to CKD. 2) The course is just the right length for participants to engage with the content. 3) Participants planned to take what they learned and follow up with their doctor or share the course with others in their community.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that the Step Forward course is an effective tool that provides helpful education about CKD while meeting the needs of adult learners. In addition, taking the course prompted users to take steps to better understand their kidney disease or to increase others' awareness of CKD, which supports better overall management of kidney disease. AKF will use these insights to develop additional interactive courses on other kidney disease topics.
Reference:
1Cooper, A. Z., & Richards, J. B. (2017). Lectures for Adult Learners: Breaking Old Habits in Graduate Medical Education. The American Journal of Medicine, 130(3), 376–381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2016.11.009