Development of a multidimensional assessment tool for uraemic pruritus: Uraemic Pruritus in Dialysis Patients (UP-Dial)

Evaluating the Psychometric Properties of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Assessing Symptoms in Hemodialysis: A Systematic Review Using COSMIN Guidelines

CONTEXT

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may have an important role in screening and monitoring for unpleasant symptoms in kidney failure. However, there is still little evidence on the psychometric properties of the measures available to assess physical and psychological symptoms in people on hemodialysis. This gap makes it difficult to decide which measure is the most appropriate for use in clinical practice and research with this population.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to critically appraise, compare, and summarize the quality of the measurement properties of PROMs used to assess symptoms in adults on hemodialysis.

METHODS

The protocol for this review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023393441). The last database search update was performed on November 25, 2022. The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) guidelines informed methodological quality assessment, data extraction, analysis, and synthesis.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven primary studies reported the measurement properties of 16 PROMs used to assess physical and psychological symptoms in adults on hemodialysis. Results showed that most measures lacked the necessary psychometric evidence to attest their suitability for this study population, and few underwent rigorous validation procedures. Overall, caveats were found on methodological quality and evidence of content validity and structural validity, and little data was available on responsiveness, measurement error, and cross-cultural validity.

CONCLUSION

The current systematic review provides the basis for identifying PROMs with potential utility for assessing symptoms in hemodialysis care. Several recommendations are presented to help guide future research aimed at improving the rigor of validation and/or translation procedures of existing (and future) measures using COSMIN guidelines.

Transcultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Thai-Brief Resilient Coping Scale: a cross-sectional study during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in Thailand

This study aimed to examine the transcultural adaptation, construct validity, and psychometric properties of the Thai-Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) among the general population and college students through the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Thailand. We invited the 4004 participants to complete sets of anchor-based measurement tools, including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, well-being, and perceived social support. The scale factor structure of the Thai-BRCS was assessed using factor analysis, and nonparametric item response theory (IRT) analysis. The psychometric properties of the Thai-BRCS for validity (convergent and discriminant) and reliability (internal consistency and reproducibility) were assessed. Based on the construct validity testing, factor analysis, and nonparametric IRT analysis reaffirmed the unidimensionality with a one-factor structure of the Thai-BRCS version. For convergent validity, the scale was significantly correlated with all sets of anchor-based measurement tools (all P < 0.001). The discriminant validity was satisfactory with a group of medium and low resilience and the risk of adverse mental outcomes. For scale reliability, it revealed excellent internal consistency (alpha = 0.84, omega = 0.85) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation = 0.91). The Thai-BRCS version fulfills transcultural adaptation with satisfactory psychometric properties to measure psychological resilience in the Thai population during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Serum Level of IL-31 in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease-Associated Pruritus: What Can We Expect?

Chronic-kidney-disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is one of the most common and burdensome dermatological symptoms affecting patients undergoing dialysis, and its etiopathogenesis has still not been fully discovered. This study was designed to investigate the possible contribution of interleukin-31 (IL-31) to the pathogenesis of itch in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis (HD). We evaluated the serum level of IL-31 in HD patients with pruritus, in HD patients without pruritus and in healthy controls, as well as its correlation to the severity of itch. The study enrolled 175 adult subjects. The participants were divided into three groups. Group A included 64 patients on maintenance HD with CKD-aP, Group B included 62 patients on maintenance HD not reporting CKD-aP and Group C included 49 healthy controls. Pruritus severity was assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and the serum levels of IL-31 were measured. The results showed that the IL-31 serum level was significantly higher in the itchy group (p < 0.001) in comparison to the patients free from pruritus. Moreover, a marginal trend towards significance (r = 0.242, p = 0.058) was observed between the IL-31 serum level and itch intensity. Our study supports earlier findings on the extended role of IL-31 in the development of CKD-aP.

Do you feel itchy? A guide towards diagnosis and measurement of chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus in dialysis patients

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) is a potentially distressing condition that affects a significant proportion of patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing dialysis. CKD-aP may lead to worsening of patients' physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and has also been linked with worse clinical outcomes, including increased mortality. Despite these detrimental effects, evidence from real-world studies shows that CKD-aP still remains overlooked by nephrologists and underreported by patients in clinical practice. Itch is subjective and therefore its diagnosis is often dependent on patients reporting this symptom. There is an opportunity to reduce the burden of CKD-aP on dialysis patients by increasing awareness about this condition and the availability of effective treatments. It is particularly important that nephrologists and other healthcare providers routinely ask their patients if they are experiencing itch. The differential diagnosis of CKD-aP requires a step-by-step identification and exclusion of possible alternative or concomitant causes of itch. Several simple validated self-reported assessment scales are available to evaluate the presence and severity of itch in a time-efficient manner, making them suitable for use in everyday clinical practice. The impact of CKD-aP on haemodialysis patients' HRQoL should also be assessed on a regular basis. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the differential diagnosis of CKD-aP and the diagnostic tools that are available to identify itch and quantify its severity and impact on patient HRQoL. A suggested algorithm to guide the screening, diagnosis and assessment of CKD-aP among dialysis patients in real-world practice is provided.

Chronic Intractable Pruritus in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients: Prevalence, Impact, and Management Challenges - A Narrative Review

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is recognized as a leading public health problem and causes numerous health complications. One of the most common and burdensome dermatological symptoms affecting patients undergoing dialysis is CKD-associated pruritus (CKD-aP). This condition not only has a negative impact on sleep, mood, daily activities, and quality of life but also increases the mortality risk of hemodialyzed patients. Despite that, this condition is greatly underestimated in clinical practice. Due to the complex and still not fully understood etiopathogenesis of CKD-aP, the choice of an effective therapy remains a challenge for clinicians. Most common therapeutic algorithms use topical treatment, phototherapy, and various systemic approaches. This review aimed to summarize most recent theories about the pathogenesis, clinical features, and treatment of CKD-aP.

Measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures for pruritus: An updated systematic review

This systematic review aims to provide an update on measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures for pruritus. A Medline literature search was conducted to update the systematic review published by Schoch et al. in 2017 and to identify new validation studies published between October 2015 and July 2019. The methodological quality of validation studies was assessed based on the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) checklist and the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures were evaluated. Nineteen new studies were included and added to the 22 studies identified in the previously published review. Evidence from all 41 studies evaluating 38 different measures was summarized. Outcome measures were mapped to one of three constructs where possible: pruritus intensity, pruritus severity, pruritus-specific health-related quality of life. COSMIN rating revealed mixed results with deficiencies in methodological quality of many studies across all constructs. The most appropriate pruritus severity measure was the "Itch Severity Scale". "Itchy Quality of Life" and the disease-specific "Uremic Pruritus in Dialysis Scale" achieved most promising results considering the construct pruritus-specific health-related quality of life. For pruritus intensity, nine measures performed similarly well.

Toward Patient-Centered Innovation: A Conceptual Framework for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Transformative Kidney Replacement Devices

Individuals with dialysis-dependent kidney failure experience considerable disease- and treatment-related decline in functional status and overall well-being. Despite these experiences, there have been few substantive technological advances in KRT in decades. As such, new federal initiatives seek to accelerate innovation. Historically, integration of patient perspectives into KRT product development has been limited. However, the US Food and Drug Administration recognizes the importance of incorporating patient perspectives into the total product life cycle (i.e., from product conception to postmarket surveillance) and encourages the consideration of patient-reported outcomes in regulatory-focused clinical trials when appropriate. Recognizing the significance of identifying patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) that capture contemporary patient priorities, the Kidney Health Initiative, a public-private partnership between the American Society of Nephrology and US Food and Drug Administration, convened a workgroup to (1) develop a conceptual framework for a health-related quality of life PROM; (2) identify and map existing PROMs to the conceptual framework, prioritizing them on the basis of their supporting evidence for use in the regulatory environment; and (3) describe next steps for identifying PROMs for use in regulatory clinical trials of transformative KRT devices. This paper summarizes the proposed health-related quality-of-life PROM conceptual framework, maps and prioritizes PROMs, and identifies gaps and future needs to advance the development of rigorous, meaningful PROMS for use in clinical trials of transformative KRT devices.

Factors associated with the severity of pruritus in patients with terminal chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis in Lima, Peru

The objective of the study is to analyze the factors associated with the severity of pruritus in patients with terminal chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis.

The methodology used is based on a cross-sectional study in patients receiving hemodialysis at the Centro Nacional de Salud Renal. Severe pruritus was defined as a score on the visual analogue scale greater than or equal to 7, and the strength of association with the possible risk factors was assessed by calculating prevalence ratios. Regarding the results, 264 patients were included, 59.9% were male, with a mean time on hemodialysis of 10.26 ± 7.14 years. 75% experienced pruritus, of this group, 1 in 3 presented severe pruritus. Hyperphosphatemia and the use of antihistamines were associated with a higher prevalence of severe pruritus (RP 1.71, 95% CI 1.09-267 and RP 2.39, 95% CI 1.51-3.75, respectively). The positive serology for Hepatitis C Virus was described as a protective factor for presenting severe pruritus (RP 0.55, 95% CI 0.33-0.89). In conclusion, severe uremic pruritus is a frequent problem in patients with chronic terminal kidney disease who have hyperphosphatemia and treatment with antihistamines independently of the time they have been on hemodialysis.

Clinical interpretation of the Uremic Pruritus in Dialysis Patients (UP-Dial) scale: a novel instrument for the assessment of uremic pruritus

BACKGROUND

The Uremic Pruritus in Dialysis Patients (UP-Dial) scale is valid and reliable for uremic pruritus (UP) assessment. However, it remains unknown how the scores should be interpreted in clinical practices.

OBJECTIVES

To establish a clinical interpretation of the UP-Dial by identifying severity cut-off scores according to the disease severity and burden of pruritus.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study developed a classification system for the UP-Dial scores using the patient-based anchors method. From May 2012 through January 2017, 697 dialysis patients were screened. Of these, a total of 258 met the criteria for UP and completed the UP-Dial scale and three sets of patient-assessed anchor questions: (i) global UP intensity by visual analogue scale (VAS)-UP, (ii) Dermatology Life Quality Index and (iii) global kidney disease-related quality of life. The cut-off scores were generated based on the kappa (κ) coefficient of agreement and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AuROC) statistics. Subgroup analyses were performed to explore associations between patient characteristics and the UP-Dial severity bands.

RESULTS

The proposed scores were ≤12 (mild), 13-21 (moderate) and ≥22 (severe) with κ coefficient ranging between 0.39 and 0.46. Assigned scores were associated with all patient-based anchors. The highest association was with the VAS-UP, and AuROC was 0.80 (mild; 95% CI, 0.75-0.86), 0.66 (moderate; 0.60-0.71) and 0.83 (severe; 0.77-0.89). In subgroup analysis according to patient characteristics, we did not find any significant difference.

CONCLUSIONS

The estimated UP-Dial severity band can facilitate the interpretation of UP in practice-based research settings and can be used to support treatment decisions.