Preventive health care measures before and after start of renal replacement therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe utilization of preventive health care measures in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), both in the year prior to onset of renal replacement therapy (RRT), and in the first year of RRT.


METHODS
We identified a large cohort of patients with CKD in the New Jersey Medicaid and Medicare programs with fixed enrollment into the cohort at 1 year prior to RRT. We applied commonly used quality assurance instruments (Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set measures) and defined levels and correlates of use of preventive care measures before and after RRT. These included mammography, Pap smear testing, prostate cancer screening, diabetic eye exams, and glycosylated hemoglobin testing (HbA1c). We employed logistic regression models with adjustment for age, race, gender, comorbidity, timing of first nephrologist contact, socioeconomic status, and calendar year of first RRT.


RESULTS
Overall, screening rates were low with the exception of diabetic eye exams. Prostate cancer screening, diabetic eye exams, and HbA1c testing were performed less often after onset of RRT compared to the year before (P < .05). Although screening rates before RRT improved considerably over the period of observation for these measures (P < .05), this was not the case once patients were on RRT.


CONCLUSIONS
Preventive health care interventions remain underutilized among RRT patients. Greater attention to such preventive measures could lead to significant improvements in the health status of such vulnerable patients. Thus, quality improvement of the general health care for patients on RRT should become a priority in renal health policy.
Winkelmayer
Wolfgang C
WC
Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass 02115, USA. wolfgang@post.harvard.edu
Owen
William
W
Glynn
Robert J
RJ
Levin
Raisa
R
Avorn
Jerry
J
D015331:Cohort Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000628:therapy*; D008327:Mammography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008484:Medicaid; D006278:Medicare; D009515:New Jersey; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D012044:Regression Analysis; D017582:Renal Replacement Therapy; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen