In Quality We Trust; but Quality of Life or Quality of Care? Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • The ESRD program provides medical care to a diverse and medically complex patient population. The care for the ESRD patient population has become increasingly benchmarked with process of care measures. These measures include dialysis adequacy, anemia, nutrition, and vascular access outcomes. These process-related dialysis measures may not improve the care of the individual patient as care relates to the individual's goals and values. There is also evidence that these process measures may not be causally related to quality of life, hospitalization, and survival. The adoption of patient-reported outcomes may shift the balance toward more patient-centered care. However, the extent to which mandated measures of health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction result in improved outcomes remains unclear.© 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

publication date

  • February 2016