Comparison of Preventive Care Provided to Dialysis Patients by Nephrologists and to Patients Followed in General Medical Clinics: Compliance with American College of Physicians Guidelines

Most end‐stage renal disease (ESRD) patients do not have primary‐care providers, and preventive medicine often is provided by their nephrologists. Little has been written about their success in providing this care. We studied all patients on dialysis at our hospital and compared their preventive care to a control group followed in the general medical clinic. The general medical group showed higher compliance with Pap smears (89% vs 48%), mammography (87% vs 62%), fecal occult blood testing (75% vs 50%), and pneumococcal vaccination (55% vs 28%). The ESRD group had better compliance with influenza vaccination (70% vs 55%) and lipid profile (100% vs 75%). When the subgroup of patients on hemodialysis (HD) was compared with patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD), it was shown that HD patients were more likely than PD patients to receive preventive care. We also compared diabetes‐specific care. The ESRD group had a higher rate of HbA 1C (100% vs 78%) and lipid monitoring (100% vs 76%), diabetes education (100% vs 84%), and podiatry visits (70% vs 38%). There was no difference in ophthalmologic examination or influenza vaccination. We found that nephrologists provide preventive care to ESRD patients with success approximately equal to primary‐care physicians in our institution, although in different parameters. Ready access to dialysis patients and their blood and unit‐specific policies contribute to compliance that is above national averages. Further improvements can be made by additional preventative measures policies, by physician and patient education, and by monitoring primary‐care compliance in the chart.