Dot plots may help measure dialysis adherence in African American patients
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Researchers presented dot plots as a novel tool for measuring dialysis adherence in African American adults, according to data published in Kidney Medicine.
Further, the tool revealed older patients were more likely to adhere to dialysis treatments.
“African Americans have a higher prevalence of kidney failure treated with dialysis and higher rates of non-adherence to hemodialysis, which are associated with excessive hospitalizations and increased financial costs,” Ebele M. Umeukeje, MD, MPH, and colleagues wrote. “It is critical to improve existing knowledge of hemodialysis non-adherence by improving and enhancing the current methods of assessing hemodialysis adherence.”
In a retrospective cohort study, researchers evaluated data for 113 patients (47% were men; the median age was 57 years) who received hemodialysis in two clinics between February 2017 and April 2017. All patients were African American and had been receiving in-center hemodialysis for longer than 90 days.
Using a dot plot, researchers looked for patterns in dialysis attendance based on missed and shortened treatments. Researchers explored correlations between dialysis treatment adherence and patient characteristics in an exploratory analysis using ordinary least squares regression.
During the 3-month study, the median amount of missed minutes of dialysis was 435.5 and the median amount of missed treatments was 1.
According to researchers, the dot plot revealed a declining gradient in the severity of non-adherence, with the following unique dialysis treatment adherence categories: consistent underdialysis, inconsistent dialysis and consistent dialysis. After analyzing missed minutes and shortened treatments, researchers identified a correlation between older age and better dialysis adherence.
“To our knowledge, no study of dialysis treatment adherence has presented dialysis treatment adherence data in a graphical format,” Umeukeje and colleagues wrote. They added, “Although its application can certainly be extended to other patient populations, the use of the dot plot in this study as an excellent analytic tool for enhanced identification of non-adherence in African American patients treated with hemodialysis who are affected by social determinants of health, aligns well with the current goals of [CMS] concerning increasing health equity and reducing disparities in care.”
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