Background: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is related to high morbidity, mortality, and impaired health-related quality of life. While hemodialysis (HD) is the current life-saving standard of treatment for patients with ESRD, their quality of life (QoL) remains far from desirable. Online HDF (OL-HDF), due to its convenience, could improve the QoL of patients with ESRD, however, this remains uncertain.
Objective: We aimed to assess the body of evidence of OL-HDF compared to HD regarding QoL in patients with ESRD.
Methods: We comprehensively searched in multiple data bases from their inception to February 2018. Reviewers working independently and in duplicate appraised the quality and included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated, in patients with ESRD and HD or OL-HDF, QoL (Short Form Health Survey with 36 questions (SF-36) with physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS) as well as scores about social activity, fatigue, and emotion). A meta-analysis of each outcome of interest was performed using a random-effects model.
Results: Six moderate quality RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of 4 RCTs including a total of 1,209 patients showed that OL-HDF was associated with a lower yet non-significant score of PCS: MD (mean difference) -0.77 (95% CI -1.94 to 0.41, p = 0.20), and MCS: MD -1.25 (95% CI -3.10 to 0.59, p = 0.18); indicating a poorer QoL in patients on OL-HDF. Meta-analysis of 4 RCTs including a total of 845 patients showed OL-HDF was associated with a significant increase in the score of social activity compared to HD: SMD (standardized mean difference): 1.95 (95% CI 0.05 to 3.86, p = 0.04), indicating a better QoL in patients on OL-HDF; but regarding fatigue and emotion, there was no significant improvement when compared to HD by meta-analysis of 3 RCTs (133 patients).
Conclusions: The body of evidence suggests that OL-HDF does not improve QoL in patients with ESRD when compared to HD.