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BackgroundSystemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a serious, complex, and chronic illness. Similar to most other chronic illness states, there is great interest in helping persons with SLE engage in their disease management. ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to (1) develop the Lupus Interactive Navigator (LIN), a web-based self-management program for persons with SLE, and (2) test the LIN for usability and acceptability. MethodsThe LIN development platform was based on the results of preliminary comprehensive needs assessments and adapted from the Oncology Interactive Navigator, a web-based tool developed for persons with cancer. Medical researchers, writers, designers, and programmers worked with clinical experts and persons with SLE to develop content for the LIN. Usability and acceptability of the LIN was tested on individuals with SLE meeting American College of Rheumatology criteria, who were recruited from five Canadian SLE clinics. Participants were provided with access to the LIN and were asked to use it over a two-week period. Following the testing period, participants were contacted for a 30-minute telephone interview to assess usability and acceptability. ResultsThe content for the LIN was subdivided into six primary information topics with interview videos featuring rheumatologists, allied health professionals, and persons with SLE. Usability and acceptability of the LIN was tested on 43 females with SLE. Of these, 37 (86%) completed telephone interviews. The average age was 43.6 (SD 15.9) years and disease duration averaged 14.1 (SD 10.8) years. Median time spent on LIN was 16.3 (interquartile range [IQR]:13.7, 53.5) minutes and median number of sessions was 2 (IQR: 1, 3). Overall, Likert ratings (0=strongly disagree; 7=strongly agree) of website usability and content were very high, with 75% scoring >6 out of 7 on all items. All participants agreed that LIN was easy to use, would recommend it to others with SLE, and would refer to it for future questions about SLE. Very high ratings were also given to relevancy, credibility, and usefulness of the information provided. Overall, 73% of the participants rated all topics helpful to very helpful. Participants who reported more prior knowledge about SLE rated items regarding improvement in knowledge and helpfulness relatively lower than persons with less prior knowledge. Most participants commented that the LIN would be very useful to those newly diagnosed with SLE. Minor revisions were recommended. ConclusionsThis study furthers the understanding of the needs in the SLE community and delivers a unique eHealth tool to promote self-management in persons with SLE. The LIN was found to be highly acceptable in content and usability. The information provided on LIN may be most helpful for individuals with less experience with the disease, such as those newly diagnosed, indicating the need to tailor the content for persons with more SLE experience.

BackgroundSystemic lupus erythematosus is an inflammatory autoimmune disease associated with high morbidity and unacceptable mortality. Information and management tools are needed to help persons with lupus cope with their illness and facilitate health care providers in the delivery of care. ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to assess the needs and find solutions to support persons with lupus and their health care providers. MethodsWeb-based surveys were distributed across Canada to persons with lupus and their relatives (n=3119), rheumatologists (n=517), and arthritis health professionals (AHPs) (n=226) by Lupus Canada, the Canadian Rheumatology Association, and the Arthritis Health Professions Association, respectively. ResultsThe survey sample comprised 665 (21.3%) persons with lupus, 98 (19.0%) rheumatologists, and 74 (32.7%) AHPs. Among the participants with lupus, 92.4% were female, the average age was 46.8 (SD 12.7) years, 79.2% were Caucasian, and 58.8% were employed. All Canadian provinces and territories were represented. The majority (43.3%) of respondents were from Ontario. Mean disease duration was 10.2 (SD 9.5) years, and 41.9% rated their global assessment as fair or poor. There was high agreement between lupus participants and health care providers regarding disease-specific information topics. All groups rated topics related to lupus, fatigue, medications, and stress as most important. Ratings differed among lupus participants and their health care providers regarding perceived helpfulness of some of the patient tools, such as the option to view test results. Needs differed for persons with lupus based on age, sex, depression, stress, and disease activity. Differences in health care provider needs were based on amount of experience in treating lupus. ConclusionsInformation and support tools needed for persons with lupus and their health care providers were identified. These results will help guide us in the development of a Web-based Lupus Interactive Navigator as an intervention tool to help persons with lupus self-manage their disease and to facilitate heath care providers in clinical management.