BackgroundAs adolescents with hemophilia approach adulthood, they are expected to assume responsibility for their disease management. A bilingual (English and French) Internet-based self-management program, “Teens Taking Charge: Managing Hemophilia Online,” was developed to support adolescents with hemophilia in this transition. This study explored the usability of the website and resulted in refinement of the prototype.MethodsA purposive sample (n=18; age 13–18; mean age 15.5 years) was recruited from two tertiary care centers to assess the usability of the program in English and French. Qualitative observations using a “think aloud” usability testing method and semi-structured interviews were conducted in four iterative cycles, with changes to the prototype made as necessary following each cycle. This study was approved by research ethics boards at each site.ResultsTeens responded positively to the content and appearance of the website and felt that it was easy to navigate and understand. The multimedia components (videos, animations, quizzes) were felt to enrich the experience. Changes to the presentation of content and the website user-interface were made after the first, second and third cycles of testing in English. Cycle four did not result in any further changes.ConclusionsOverall, teens found the website to be easy to use. Usability testing identified end-user concerns that informed improvements to the program. Usability testing is a crucial step in the development of Internet-based self-management programs to ensure information is delivered in a manner that is accessible and understood by users.

Adolescents with haemophilia must assume responsibility for their health and management of their disease. An online self-management program was developed to support adolescents during this transition. To determine the feasibility of the program using a randomized control trial (RCT) design in terms of accrual/attrition rates, willingness to be randomized, compliance with the program/outcome measures and satisfaction. Adolescents, ages 13-18, were enrolled in a pilot RCT (NCT01477437) and randomized to either the intervention (8-week program with telephone coaching) or the control arm (no access to the website, weekly telephone call as attention-strategy). All participants completed pre/post-outcome measures. Twenty-nine teens participated (intervention n = 16, control n = 13). Participants in the intervention arm spent an average of 50 min on the website per week and completed the modules in an average of 14 weeks (SD = 4.9). Attrition was higher in the control group compared to the intervention group (54% vs. 25%). 17/18 (94%) who completed the program also completed the poststudy measures. Teens on the intervention arm showed significant improvement in disease-specific knowledge (P = 0.004), self-efficacy (P = 0.007) and transition preparedness (P = 0.046). There was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge in the intervention group when compared to the control group (P = 0.01). Overall, the teens found the website to be informative, comprehensive and easy to use and were satisfied with the program. This pilot RCT study suggests benefit to the program and indicates an RCT design to be feasible with minor adjustments to the protocol.

These data suggest that pediatric patients presenting with autoimmune multi-lineage cytopenias should undergo investigation for underlying immune dysregulation, including autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, other primary immunodeficiencies and autoimmune disorders. The development of an international registry for such patients is imperative to improve the understanding of their complex natural history.

Background: Bone mineral density (BMD) decreases postrenal transplantation. Evidence demonstrating the effects of bisphosphonates on BMD and fracture risk beyond 1-year posttransplant is sparse in existing literature, but remains essential to enhance clinical outcomes in this population. Objective: Our study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the current literature on the use of any bisphosphonate in the adult renal transplant population beyond the first year of renal transplant to determine its effect on BMD and fracture incidence. Design: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of primary research literature that included full-text, English-language, original randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Setting: Patient data were primarily captured in an outpatient setting across various studies. Patients: Our population of interest was patients older than 18 years who received deceased/living donor kidney transplantation and any bisphosphonate with a follow-up greater than 12 months posttransplantation. Measurements: The primary outcome was change in BMD from baseline. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of fractures and effects of other confounders on bone health. Methods: We included RCTs and observational studies that satisfied our inclusion criteria. Each study was analyzed for risk of bias and data were extrapolated to analyze for overall statistical significance accounting for heterogeneity of studies. Results: Sixteen studies (N = 1762) were analyzed. The follow-up ranged from 12 to 98 months. There was a nonsignificant improvement in BMD with bisphosphonate treatment persisting into the second and third years posttransplant at the lumbar spine. The calculated standardized mean BMD difference was −0.29 (−0.75 to 0.17), P = .22. Only 5 studies reported a total of 43 new fractures. Prednisone ( P < .01), low body weight ( P < .001), low body mass index ( P < .01), and male gender ( P < .05) correlated with reduced lumbar and femoral BMD. Limitations: Limitations of this review include the use of BMD as a surrogate outcome, the bias of the included studies, and the incomplete reporting data in numerous analyzed studies. Conclusions: We demonstrate no statistically significant benefit of bisphosphonate treatment on BMD beyond the first year postrenal transplantation. Despite heterogeneity of treatment, a differential nonsignificant improvement in lumbar spine BMD was consistent and may be clinically relevant. Trial Registration: PROSPERO CRD42019125593

Introduction As adolescents with hemophilia approach adulthood, they must assume responsibility for their health and management of their disease. An online self-management program was developed to support adolescents during this transition. Aim To determine the feasibility of studying the online educational program using a non-blind, randomized control trial(RCT) design in terms of 1)Study accrual and attrition rates, 2) willingness to be randomized 3) compliance with the program and completion of the outcome measures, and 4) satisfaction with the program. Methods Adolescents, ages 13-18, were enrolled from three tertiary care centres in Canada in a pilot RCT (NCT01477437). After providing informed consent, adolescents were randomized to the intervention (8 week program with telephone coaching) or the control arm (no access, weekly telephone call as attention-strategy). Adolescents in both arms of the study were asked to complete pre- and post- outcome measures. Following completion of the program, quantitative analysis addressed the feasilibity measures and qualitative interviews were conducted to assess satisfaction. Results 29 teens participated (intervention group, n=16, control group, n=13).Participants in the intervention arm spent an average of 50 minutes on the website per week completed the 8 modules in an average of 14 weeks (SD= 4.9). Among those randomized to the intervention, 2 participants dropped out of the study and 2 were lost to follow-up, resulting in an attrition rate of 25% (4/16). The control arm had a higher attrition rate of 54% (7/13) with 5 participants being lost to follow-up and 2 participants dropping out. For participants who completed the program, 17/18 (94%) completed the post-study outcome measures. Despite the study not being powered to assess efficacy, teens on the intervention arm showed significant improvement in disease-specific knowledge (p=0.004), self-efficacy (p=0.007) and transition preparedness (p=0.046) over time. There was a statistically significant improvement in the knowledge measure in the intervention group when compared to the control group (p=0.01). Overall, the teens found the website to be informative, comprehensive and easy to use and were satisfied with the program. Conclusions This feasibility study suggests benefit to the program and indicates a full scale RCT to be a reasonable next step with minor adjustments to the protocol. The higher than expected attrition rate in the control group, suggests the need to improve the strategies for maintaining participant engagement using a more active attention control group (static educational materials) in the design of this web-based intervention prior to a larger study to assess efficacy. Disclosures: Breakey: Baxter Bioscience: Research Funding.