Collection and determinants of patient reported outcome measures in haemodialysis patients in Scotland

Background/Introduction: Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can evaluate the quality of health in patients with established renal failure. There is limited experience of their use within national renal registries. Aim: To describe the Scottish Renal Registry's (SRR) experience of collecting PROMS in the haemodialysis population and correlate PROMS to demographic and clinical parameters. Design: Retrospective observational cross-sectional study. Methods: Haemodialysis patients in Scotland were invited to complete the KDQOL™-36 questionnaire on the day of the annual SRR census in 2015 and 2016. Questionnaires were linked to census demographic and clinical variables. Results: In 2016, 738 questionnaires were linked to census data (39% of prevalent haemodialysis population). Response rates differed with age (≥ 65 years 42%,  65% and dialysing through arteriovenous access were associated with significantly higher PROMs. PROMs were not affected by haemoglobin or phosphate concentration. Discussion/Conclusions: Routine collection of PROMs is feasible and can identify potentially under-recognized and treatable determinants to quality of life. The association between attaining recommended standards of care and improved PROMs is striking. Individual and population-wide strategies are required to improve PROMs.