Promoting positive behaviour change in early stage Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

The kidneys are specialised organs in the body that filter the body of waste and toxic substances. However, these organs sometimes go wrong and, due to different reasons, lead to dysfunction. If this continues for more than a few months, it is termed Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). There are five stages of CKD, ranging from mild loss of kidney function to kidney failure (ESKD), but not all disease progresses to end stage kidney failure. There are certain behaviours and treatments that can slow, or even stop, progression of the disease, including dietary management, physical exercise, medication adherence, and more. Despite knowledge and information on progression of the disease never being better, the number of patients entering end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is increasing year-on-year, with the most recent records showing a 7.3% increase in the number of patients starting kidney replacement therapy in 2021, compared to 2020 (UK Renal Registry 25th Annual report, 2021). Kidney disease is projected to be the 5th cause of premature death, globally, by 2040.

The focus of this PhD is to examine behaviours and outcomes in the early stages of CKD where progression of the disease is often preventable and therefore providing a real opportunity to impact primary and secondary prevention rather than tertiary prevention of health problems.

The primary aims of this research are the following: 1) to examine how patients acquire and use information to inform their health-related decisions around treatment and management of CKD. 2) to examine the clinician-patient communication dynamic. 3) to use novel approaches from psychology to develop strategies, advice and interventions that could aid patients in their health-related behaviours and outcomes in CKD. 4) to examine shared decision-making/personalised care to promote positive behaviour change in early stage CKD.

Candidates should be familiar with quantitative and qualitative research methods and data analysis. Candidates should be comfortable with the hospital setting, as most of the data collection will involve in-person testing at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading; consequently, this PhD cannot be undertaken by-distance. The candidate will be encouraged to write up their work as scientific publications throughout the PhD.