Compliance in hemodialysis patients: Unanticipated monitoring of biochemical indices

Compliance with the prescribed medical regimen is a critical factor for the continued well-being of hemodialysis patients. As compliance is a multifac torial problem, numerous approaches have been utilized to quantify the comp liance 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 phos phate (PO4) values of 54 maintenance hemodialysis patients with the schedul ed, regular first-week measurements during a 6-month study period. The inte rdialytic weight gain (IWG) levels of the corresponding weeks were also com pared. Mid-month analysis revealed a significant deviation in the complianc e status of the study population as BUN, serum K and IWGs were concerned (p < 0.05). The mid-month serum PO4 levels were also higher but the differenc e was not significant (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the differences observed i n biochemical indices upon change of test request timing were distinctive. It suggests that unanticipated control of biochemical indices might contrib ute to the actual assessment of compliance in hemodialysis patients.