Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31795976›Full record

ArticleBMC nephrology2019

Problems with analyses and interpretation of data in "use of the KDQOL-36™ for assessment of health-related quality of life among dialysis patients in the United States".

Ron D Hays, John D Peipert, Joel D Kallich

Abstract readLetterComment
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC nephrology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. CONVINCE in the context of existing evidence on haemodiafiltration.Nephrology, dialysis, transplantation : official publication of the European Dialysis and Transplant Association - European Renal Association · 2022
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Ron D HaysUCLA Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine & Health Services Research, 1100 Glendon Avenue, Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA. drhays@ucla.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-6697-907X
John D PeipertDepartment of Medical Social Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 625 N. Michigan Ave, 27th floor, Chicago, IL, 60611, USA.
Joel D KallichMassachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University, 179 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.

Funding

The Center for Health Improvement of Minority ElderlyP30AG021684 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · PI Homero Erwin del Pino · 2002 to 2026
$19.7M
NIA NIH HHS P30-AG021684.
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A recent article in the journal reported analyses of KDQOL-36™ survey data collected from 240,343 adults (330,412 surveys) dialyzed at a large dialysis organization in the United States during 2014-2016. The authors concluded that the KDQOL-36™ Symptoms and Problems of Kidney Disease scale had the highest mean score of the KDQOL-36™ scales. We note that this inference was erroneous because the scales are not scored on the same numeric scale. In addition, the authors found that responses to a general health perceptions item ("In general, would you say your health is excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor") was not significantly associated with any of the 5 KDQOL-36 scale scores. In contrast, we find significant and noteworthy correlations in two other datasets. These analytic issues call into question the accuracy and validity of the conclusions of this paper.

Indexed as

Kidney DiseasesQuality of LifeRenal DialysisAdultHumansSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited StatesHealth-related quality of life, KDQOL-36™Renal disease

Identifiers

PMID31795976
PMCPMC6892228

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.