Compliance in Hemodialysis Patients: Unanticipated Monitoring of Biochemical Indices

• Published in: Blood purification Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 275 - 280
• Main Authors: Arici, Mustafa, Altun, Bülent, Usalan, Celalettin, Ulusoy, Sükrü, Erdem, Yunus, Yasavul, Ünal, Turgan, Çetin, Çaglar, Sali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland Karger 1998
• Subjects: Adult; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Biological and medical sciences; Blood Urea Nitrogen; Body Weight; Emergency and intensive care: renal failure. Dialysis management; Female; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Kidney Failure, Chronic - psychology; Kidney Failure, Chronic - therapy; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Original Paper; Patient Compliance; Phosphates - blood; Potassium - blood; Renal Dialysis - psychology; Serum Albumin - analysis; Tropical medicine; Compliance; Hemodialysis; Biochemical measures; Human; Phosphates; Biological marker; Nitrogen; Compliance(volume pressure); Weight gain; Extrarenal dialysis; Urea; Chronic; Surveillance; Evolution; Potassium; Comparative study
• DOI: 10.1159/000014345
• ISSN: 0253-5068

Compliance with the prescribed medical regimen is a critical factor for the continued well-being of hemodialysis patients. As compliance is a multifactorial problem, numerous approaches have been utilized to quantify the compliance of hemodialysis patients. In the present study, we have attempted to examine whether unanticipated control of biochemical indices might predict the compliance status of hemodialysis patients. We compared unanticipated mid-month values of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum potassium (K) and phosphate (PO 4 ) values of 54 maintenance hemodialysis patients with the scheduled, regular first-week measurements during a 6-month study period. The interdialytic weight gain (IWG) levels of the corresponding weeks were also compared. Mid-month analysis revealed a significant deviation in the compliance status of the study population as BUN, serum K and IWGs were concerned (p < 0.05). The mid-month serum PO 4 levels were also higher but the difference was not significant (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the differences observed in biochemical indices upon change of test request timing were distinctive. It suggests that unanticipated control of biochemical indices might contribute to the actual assessment of compliance in hemodialysis patients.