Information on patient choice?

[MooseMom]

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=649929

[okarol]

Here's the whole article. Some links die after a few days so we prefer not to rely on them.

Kidney Patients Ask for More Information on Options
Survey finds that people especially want details on home dialysis
 
THURSDAY, Feb. 17 (HealthDay News) -- Many kidney failure patients want more detailed information about their treatment choices, according to a new study.
More than 30 percent of the 1,000 U.S. patients who took part in an Internet survey said they felt that the different therapies -- in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis and kidney transplantation -- were not "equally or fairly presented to them."
Nearly 70 percent of the respondents told the researchers that they were not provided with specific education and training about home hemodialysis, a relatively new option that may offer some advantages -- including ease of treatment -- over in-center dialysis.
Overall, the participants were moderately to highly satisfied with their current treatment, but satisfaction was highest among transplant patients and home dialysis patients, and lowest among in-center dialysis patients.
Doctors had the most influence over people's choice of therapies, the survey found. And, what patients said they wanted most was more information on new treatment and improved medications.
The study was published online Feb. 17 in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
"Dialysis patients should be provided with enough information to choose optimal therapies," Dr. Stephen Fadem, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and lead author of the report, said in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology. "Our survey shows that dialysis patients do not always receive uniform, thorough information about all possible treatment methods and, as a result, are only moderately satisfied with their pre-treatment education."
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about kidney failure treatments.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology, news release, Feb. 17, 2011

[plugger]

Good article!  However I have qualms with the statement "home hemodialysis, a relatively new option".  Home dialysis has been around about as long as dialysis, just kind of buried.