Mini-Review Improving Outcomes for Dialysis Patients in the International Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study

The international Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) is well suited to evaluate levels of deviation from emerging and established guidelines to clinical practice of hemodialysis, over time and by country. The DOPPS can also evaluate whether the target levels that are chosen in the guidelines are in agreement with outcomes such as elevated risk for mortality, hospitalization, and vascular access failure. At a special DOPPS symposium during the 2004 congress of the American Society of Nephrology, the authors presented such findings; key points from that symposium are presented in this article, focusing on vascular access, mineral metabolism, dialysis dose, and anemia management. Although an observational study cannot prove causality, DOPPS suggests large opportunities to improve care and outcomes of dialysis patients. The international perspective of DOPPS assists in the new efforts for international guidelines. Some encouraging trends in recent years are documented in these areas. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol ●●: ●●●-●●●, ●●●●. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01050905 T he Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study(DOPPS) was designed to evaluate practice patternsthat can be associated with the improved health and longevity of patients with ESRD. The goals of this large inter-national study of hemodialysis (HD) patients can be summa-rized as “live longer, live better, ” which emphasizes its clinical focus. The study enrolls nationally representative samples o