In-center HD patients tend to overestimate how long they are likely to live

Statistics do not apply to individuals. However, a survey of 996 standard in-center HD patients from 31 clinics found that most could not correctly guess how long other “people your age with similar health conditions” usually live (<5 years, 5-10 years, >10 years, not sure). Just 11.2% chose <5 years, when the USRDS results would suggest 60.3%. Those who believed they would live longer were less likely to have advance directives.

Read the abstract » | (added 2019-07-15)

Tags: Life Expectancy, Patient Education

Patients Prefer Home Therapies

Researchers from New Zealand asked 143 CKD patients expected to need dialysis within a year about their preferences. Patients significantly preferred home treatments, due to flexible schedule, better well-being, and longer survival—and were even willing to pay as much as $400 per month out-of-pocket for extra nursing support. Read the abstract.

Read the abstract » | (added 2017-11-13)

Tags: Confidence Intervals, Health Expenditures, Humans, Life Expectancy, Odds Ratio, Patient Preference, Adult, Choice Behavior