Patient- and Provider-Reported Information about Transplantation and Subsequent Waitlisting

Because informed consent requires discussion of alternative treatments, proper consent for dialysis should incorporate discussion about other renal replacement options including kidney transplantation (KT). Accordingly, dialysis providers are required to indicate KT provision of information (KTPI) on CMS Form-2728; however, provider-reported KTPI does not necessarily imply adequate provision of information. Furthermore, the effect of KTPI on pursuit of KT remains unclear. We compared provider-reported KTPI (Form-2728) with patient-reported KTPI (in-person survey of whether a nephrologist or dialysis staff had discussed KT) in a prospective ancillary study of 388 hemodialysis initiates. KTPI was reported by both patient and provider for 56.2% of participants, by provider only for 27.8%, by patient only for 8.3%, and by neither for 7.7%. Among participants with provider-reported KTPI, older age was associated with lack of patient-reported KTPI. Linkage with the Scientific Registry for Transplant Recipients showed that 20.9% of participants were subsequently listed for KT. Patient-reported KTPI was independently associated with a 2.95-fold (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.54 to 5.66; P=0.001) higher likelihood of KT listing, whereas provider-reported KTPI was not associated with listing (hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.60 to 2.32; P=0.62). Our findings suggest that patient perception of KTPI is more important for KT listing than provider-reported KTPI. Patient-reported and provider-reported KTPI should be collected for quality assessment in dialysis centers because factors associated with discordance between these metrics might inform interventions to improve this process.     

Disparities in Provision of Transplant Education by Profit Status of the Dialysis Center

Kidney transplant education is associated with higher transplantation rates; however national policies regarding optimal timing and content of transplant education are lacking. We aimed to characterize nephrologists’ attitudes regarding kidney transplant education, and to compare practices between nephrologists at for-profit and nonprofit centers. We surveyed 906 nephrologist practicing in the United States. Most respondents (81%) felt the ideal time to spend on transplant education was >20 min, but only 43% reported actually doing so. Spending >20 min was associated with covering more topics, having one-on-one and repeated conversations, involving families in discussions and initiating discussions at CKD-stage 4. Providers at for-profit centers were significantly less likely to spend >20 min (RR = 0.89, 95%CI: 0.80–0.99) or involve families (RR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.38–0.87); they reported that fewer of their patients received transplant counseling (RR = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.37–0.96), initiated transplant discussions (RR = 0.58, 95%CI: 0.38–0.88), or were eligible for transplantation (RR = 0.45, 95%CI: 0.30–0.68). Of nephrologists who spent ≤20 min, those at for-profit centers more often cited lack of reimbursement as a reason (30.0% vs. 18.9%, p = 0.02). Disparities in quality of education at for-profit centers might partially explain previously documented disparities in access to transplantation for patients at these centers. National policies detailing the optimal timing and content of transplant education are needed to improve equity.     

Risk factors for chronic kidney disease: a prospective study of 23,534 men and women in Washington County, Maryland

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Prospective data on risk factors for CKD are limited to men, and few studies examine the importance of smoking. The authors performed a community-based, prospective observational study of 20-yr duration to examine the association between hypertension and smoking on the future risk of CKD in 23,534 men and women in Washington County, Maryland. CKD was identified as end-stage renal disease in the Health Care Financing Administration database or kidney disease listed on the death certificate. All cases were confirmed as CKD by medical chart review. Adjusted relative hazards of CKD were modeled using Cox proportional hazards regression including age as the time variable and baseline BP, cigarette smoking, gender, and diabetes status as risk factors. The adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) of developing CKD among women was 2.5 (0.05 to 12.0) for normal BP, 3.0 (0.6 to 14.4) for high-normal BP, 3.8 (0.8 to 17.2) for stage 1 hypertension, 6.3 (1.3 to 29.0) for stage 2 hypertension, and 8.8 (1.8 to 43.0) for stages 3 or 4 hypertension compared with individuals with optimal BP. In men, the relationship was similar but somewhat weaker than in women, with corresponding hazard ratios of 1.4 (0.2 to 12.1), 3.3 (0.4 to 25.6), 3.0 (0.4 to 22.2), 5.7 (0.8 to 43.0), and 9.7 (1.2 to 75.6), respectively. Current cigarette smoking was also significantly associated with risk of CKD in both men and women (hazard ratio in women 2.9 [1.7 to 5.0] and in men 2.4 [1.5 to 4.0]). A large proportion of the attributable risk of CKD in this population was associated with stage 1 hypertension (23%) and cigarette smoking (31%). In conclusion, CKD risk shows strong graded relationships to the sixth report of the Joint National Committee (JNC-VI) on Prevention, Detection Evaluation and Treatment of High BP criteria for BP, to diabetes, and to current cigarette smoking that are at least as strong in women as in men.     

Attainment of clinical performance targets and improvement in clinical outcomes and resource use in hemodialysis care: a prospective cohort study

Background  

Clinical performance targets are intended to improve patient outcomes in chronic disease through quality improvement, but evidence of an association between multiple target attainment and patient outcomes in routine clinical practice is often lacking.