Wearable Digital Health Technologies (WDHTs) can support and enhance self-management by giving individuals with chronic conditions more control over their health, safety and wellbeing. Involving patients early on in the design of these technologies facilitates the development of person-centered products. It may increase the potential uptake of (and adherence to) any intervention they are designed to deliver. This research aims to elicit chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients’ preferences for WDHTs that may help patients manage their conditions.

We used discrete choice experiments (DCE) to elicit preferences for WDHTs characterized by their generalizable characteristics. The study design was informed by a multi-stage mixed-method approach (MSMMA). This included a review of the published literature, focus group interviews and one-to-one interactions with CKD patients to identify relevant characteristics (that is, attributes and levels) associated with wearable DHTs. We collected the data from 113 patients (age ≥18 years) with stage 3 or above CKD. The analysis started with a conventional multinomial logit model and was extended by investigating heterogeneity in preferences via latent class models.

Our MSMMA yielded ten potential attributes for consideration in a choice task. The final list included five attributes, cross-checked and validated by the research team, and patient representatives. The most preferred attributes of WDHTs were device appearance, format and type of information provided, and mode of engagement with patients. Respondents preferred a discreet device, which offered options that individuals could choose from and provided medical information.

We show how to use MSMMA to elicit user preferences in (and to inform the) early stages of the development of WDHTs. Individuals with CKD preferred specific characteristics that would make them more likely to engage with the self-management support WDHT. Our results provide valuable insights that can be used to inform the development of different WDHTs for different segments of the CKD patients population, moving away from a one-size-fits-all provision and resulting in population health gains.