Assessing Perceived Versus Actual Knowledge and Quality of Life in Pre-Dialysis CKD Patients

Aims: The investigators' primary objective is to assess both perceived and actual disease knowledge in local pre-dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. The investigators hypothesize that actual disease knowledge is poorer than perceived. As the secondary objectives, the investigators will also assess the HRQoL and examine the association between level of knowledge and HRQoL in pre-dialysis CKD patients. The investigators hypothesize that HRQoL of pre-dialysis CKD patients is poorer than that of the general population while pre-dialysis CKD patients with greater disease knowledge have a better HRQoL than those with poorer knowledge.

Methodology: A survey was developed to assess both perceived and actual knowledge on five aspects - general knowledge, nephrotoxic medications, diet restrictions, symptoms of CKD and its complications and renal replacement therapy (RRT) options. For the assessment of HRQoL, the following questionnaires will be used - Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form (KDQOL-SF) version 1.3, EuroQoL 5 Dimensions (EQ-5D), Family Functioning Measure (FFM), and Oslo-3 Social Support Scale (OSS-3). All study questionnaires will be provided in 3 main languages - English, Chinese and Malay. A standardized data collection form was developed to retrospectively collect demographic and clinical information from the patients' electronic medical records and patient charts. Descriptive statistics will be used to report all results.