Routine Use of the PedsQL™ for Assessment of Quality of Life in Pediatric Dialysis Patients

Abstract

To comply with new Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) regulations requiring regular assessment of patient quality of life (QoL) by dialysis programs, we administered the PedsQL™ survey instrument to every eligible dialysis patient in our program beginning in October 2008. We compared findings between groups of our patients assessed from October 2008 through January 2010, and also with results of previously published multi-center studies. Compared to prior published studies using the PedsQL, the overall scores for patients and parents were lower in this routine collection of survey responses. Unexpectedly, we found that HD patients and patients living at greater distances from our center had better QoL scores than PD patients and those living closest to the medical center. These results require re-examination in larger, multi-center studies.