Identifying and Introducing the Design Requirements of a Mobile Self-Management Application for Hemodialysis Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Hemodialysis is one of the most common methods of treating patients with chronic kidney failure. People undergoing hemodialysis face various self-management challenges such as physical, emotional, and psychological problems. Mobile phone applications are useful tools for the selfmanagement process of chronic patients. The purpose of this study was to identify and introduce the requirements needed in designing a mobile phone - based self-management application for hemodialysis patients. Method: This descriptive cross -sectional study was conducted in 2024. The data collection tool was a researcher -made electronic questionnaire that included information -educational needs and application capabilities. A needs assessment was conducted on 33 people (11 doctors and 22 patients) in Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 27 and descriptive statistics . Results: A total of 89 information -educational needs and application capabilities were identified for hemodialysis patients. The data elements identified for application capabilities were divided into 10 groups: patient profile, clinical data, medication administration, nutrition and dietary management, psychological and psychiatric challenges management, sleep management, pain management, communication, and exercise. According to the views of doctors and patients, all information -educational needs (26 data elements) and application capabilities (63 data elements) except surname, national code, and contact number, with an average greater than and equal to 2.50 (50 percent) were considered essential for designing an application program. Conclusion: The identified information -educational needs and the application capabilities in this study, can assist designers in creating efficient and user - friendly self-management applications for hemodialysis .