Development and validation of a measure to assess patient experience of needling of arteriovenous fistulas or grafts for haemodialysis access: The Needling Patient Reported Experience Measure (NPREM)

People on haemodialysis rely on having reliable access to their vascular system, often via surgically created arteriovenous fistulas or grafts. Patients say it can be painful and distressing. While ‘needling’ is a key step, no validated measures exist which assess patient-reported experience of needling. The aim of this study was to first gain a better understand patient experience of needling and develop a questionnaire that measures it.

Mixed methods, with co-production integral to the research, were used. Interviews with 41 patients explored needling experience and identified key factors impacting needling. Following robust survey methodology, the team developed and validated a 28-item NPREM (v 1.0). It comprises 27 items across five themes of care and 1 overall experience item.

The NPREM offers a needling-specific tool to measure patient experience needling of fistulas and grafts for haemodialysis. It addresses a gap by offering kidney care providers a way to assess needling experience, which may facilitate patient-focused service improvements. Further studies are planned to explore use of the NPREM in practice.

Funder:

NIHR Research for Patient Benefit

Team  

Dr Currie Moore (University of Salford; University of Hertfordshire)

Dr Helen Ellis-Caird (University of Hertfordshire)

Dr Sabine van der Veer (The University of Manchester)

Mrs Catherine Fielding (University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust; University of Nottingham)

Dr Kieran McCafferty (Barts Health NHS Trust)

Dr David Wellsted (University of Hertfordshire)

Professor Ken Farrington (East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust)

Partners:

NPREM Patient Steering Group

NPREM Study Steering Group