title: Attitude of Physicians toward the Use of Erythropoietin in Hemodialysis Patients.
abstract: We attempted in this study to evaluate the attitude of the physicians in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) towards the use of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO) in patients on hemodialysis (HD). We sent a questionnaire to 181 physicians in the 147 active dialysis centers in KSA; 110 (74.9 %) of them were under the Ministry of Health (MOH), 14 (9.5%) in Governmental non-MOH hospitals and 23 (15.6 %) were in private hospitals. This covered a population of more than 7300 chronic HD patients. The study was conducted from October to December 2004. Response was obtained from 144 physicians (79.5%), working in 135 dialysis centers (92.5%) that totally treated 7107 (97%) HD patients in the KSA. Of the 144 respondents, 99 (72.8%) responded that they would use r-HuEPO therapy for all new HD patients not guided by hemoglobin (Hb) level. Almost all the respondents would start the patients on a weekly dose of 70% of the dialysis patients with the drug in comparison with the non-MOH and private sector centers (81% vs 100%, respectively P< 0.04). There was a significantly less percentage of MOH than the non-MOH centers to have a written protocol for administration of r-HuEPO (49.1% vs 95% respectively, P< 0.0002). In conclusion, a protocol to guide the r-HuEPO therapy in HD patients is lacking in many centers of the KSA and there is a need for increased awareness of the physicians working in those centers in the practical aspects of the use of this drug in the treatment of anemia in this population.
authors.affiliation: Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Muhammad Ziad
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Souqiyyeh
authors.forename: Faisal Am
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Shaheen