A socio-economic comparison of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in Greece

The purpose of this study is to compare the outcomes of Hemodialysis (HD) and Peritoneal Dialysis (PD), in terms of Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), with respect to the resources consumed by each method. The study involved a group of Greek patients suffering from End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) who completed a two-level questionnaire aiming to assess their quality of life. The results were quantified using documented scoring procedures in order to obtain utility levels. As for the cost analysis, the average annual patient cost of a HD patient, was found to be higher than that of a PD patient by 18.6%. The self reported quality of life was on average 3.8 and 6.5% higher for the PD patients using the generic part of the questionnaire (SF-36) and after incorporating a disease-specific component (KDQOL-SF) respectively. The study had some methodological and practical shortcomings, which are currently under consideration, but it also had the potential to be extended to a cost-utility analysis. Given the increasing cost of treating ESRD patients and the insufficient resources available, the undertaking of economic evaluations helps at a decision-making level whereby policies concerning preferential methods of treatment have to be implicated.