The DOPPS is a prospective cohort study of hemodialysis practices based on the collection of observational longitudinal data for a random sample of patients from dialysis facilities in a representative and random sample of units in fourteen countries.
The samples of patients in each facility, and sample of facilities in each country, are designed to provide a reliable picture of practices and outcomes in each facility, and in each geographic area.
In view of differences in patient outcomes of mortality and morbidity by country and by dialysis unit, the study helps researchers:
Vascular Access
The DOPPS has shown that regional survival differences in mortality (particularly for the United States compared with Europe) were largely explained by differences in facility vascular access use. US and European facilities with similar percentages of fistula, graft, and catheter use have, on average, similar survival.
In recent years, with the Fistula First Initiative, there has been a commendable increase in fistula use in the United States, whereas in several other countries, fistula use has fallen and/or catheter use has risen substantially.
Dialysis Session Length
In recent years, DOPPS observes that dialysis session length has shortened in the United States, whereas it has gotten longer in most other DOPPS countries. By both standard and IV analyses, the DOPPS has found that longer treatment time is associated with lower mortality in models adjusted for Kt/V, ultrafiltration rate, and other characteristics.
According to the DOPPS, short dialysis session length is now one of the key practice differences between the United States and other DOPPS countries, and its implications merit attention from research and policy perspectives.
Quality of Life and the Patient Experience
In addition to quality of life being an important predictor of mortality, it is also an important end-point in itself. Recent research on the time it takes to recover from dialysis treatment shows a great deal of variation among patients – some will recover in an hour or two but many others take all day to recover. For those patients, three days of every week are completely wiped out, in terms of any meaningful and enjoyable quality of life. This is a big issue for patients, and we plan to do more work to address this experience.
The DOPPS is overseen by the DOPPS Steering Committee and investigators representing each of the DOPPS countries, and coordinated by the Arbor Research Collaborative for Health (Arbor Research). Research is guided by these investigators, as well as Task Forces of experts in different study areas.
To learn more about joining an investigator team or using DOPPS data, see Partner With Us.
Representing a panel of experts in nephrology in each of our DOPPS countries, Investigators provide country specific guidance for DOPPS researchers and data collectors. Country Investigators assist in facility recruitment, review and localize study questionnaires, and offer insight into ESRD issues pertaining to their respective countries.
Current Country Investigators
Bahrain
Dr. Ali Al-Aradi
Belgium
Michel Jadoul, MD
Pieter Evenepoel, MD, PhD
Canada
Manish Sood, MD
Rita Suri, MD, Msc
China
Li Zuo, MD, PhD – Beijing
Yuqing Chen, MD – Beijing
Zhaohui Ni, MD, PhD – Shanghai
Xiaonong Chen, MD – Shanghai
Fanfan Hou, MD, PhD – Guangzhou
Xinling Liang, MD – Guangzhou
France
Christian Combe, MD
Fitsum Guebre-Egziabher, MD, PhD
Pablo Antonio Ureña Torres, MD
Germany
Werner Kleophas, MD
Elke Schaeffner, MD
Thomas Weinreich, MD
Italy
Giuliano Brunori, MD Piergiorio Messa, MD
Japan
Kosaku Nitta, MD, PhD
Masaaki Inaba , MD, PhD
Masafumi Fukagawa, MD, PhD
Ken Sakai, MD, PhD
Kazuhiko Tsuruya, MD, PhD
Takayuki Hamano, MD, PhD
Hirokazu Honda, MD, PhD
Junichi Hoshino, MD, PhD
Hirotaka Komaba, MD, PhD
Toshiaki Nakano, MD, PhD
Kuwait
Dr. Bassam Al Helal
Dr. Naser Alkandari
Dr. Heba AlRajab Dr. Anas Alyousef
Oman
Dr. Yacoub Al Maimani
Dr. Issa Alsalmi
Qatar
Dr. Fadwa Al Ali
Dr. Abdulla Hamad
Saudi Arabia
Dr. Saeed Al-Ghamdi
Dr. Mohammed Al Ghonaim
Dr. Jamal Al Wakeel
Dr. Fayez Hejaili
Dr. Ayman Karkar
Dr. Faissal Shaheen
Spain
Aleix Cases, MD, PhD
Almudena Vega Martínez, MD, PhD
Sweden
Stefan Jacobson, MD
Anders Christensson, MD, PhD
United Arab Emirates
Dr. Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli
Dr. Mona Al Rukhaimi
Dr. Mohamed Hassan
Dr. Abdul Kareem Saleh
United Kingdom
Elham Asgari, MRCP (UK), MSc, PhD
Indranil Dasgupta, MBBS, MD, DM, FRCP (Lond)
Emeritus Country Investigators
Dr. Samra Abouchacra Dr. Takashi Akiba Prof. Tadao Akizawa Dr. Sumaya Al Ghareeb Dr. Ali Alsahow
Vittorio Andreucci, MD
Dr. Anton Andrusev
Dr. Yasushi Asano Dr. Kenan Ateş
Dr. Boris Bikbov
Juergen Bommer, MD
Bernard Canaud, MD, PhD
Nan Chen, MD
Dr. John Collins
José Miguel Cruz, MD Patricia de Sequera, MD, PhD
Alex Disney, MD
Dr. Tevfik Ecder
Jean Ethier, MD Richard Fluck, MD
Joan Fort, MD, PhD
Luc Frimat, MD, PhD
Dr. Shunichi Fukuhara Martin Gallagher, MD Loreto Gesualdo, MD, FERA Dr. Karl Goran-Prutz
Roger Greenwood, MSc, MD, FRCP
Peter Kerr, MD
Dr. Kiyoshi Kurokawa Norbert H. Lameire, MD
Francesco Locatelli, MD
Mark R. Marshall, MD
Dr. Fumiaki Marumo David C. Mendelssohn, MD
Luis Piera, MD
Jiaqi Qian, MD Hugh C. Rayner, MD, FRCP
Dr. Akira Saito Dr. Gültekin Süleymanlar
Dr. Natalia Tomilina
Dr. Fernando Valderrábano Raymond Vanholder, MD, PhD
Mei Wang, MD
Björn Wikström, MD
Dr. Volker Wizemann
Yucheng Yan, MD, PhD
Dr. Alexander Zemchenkov
The DOPPS team is also grateful for the service of the late Country Investigators: Erwin Hecking, MD; Fernando Valderrábano, MD; Cengiz Utaş, MD; and Dr. Sumaya Al Ghareeb.
The DOPPS Steering Committee provides oversight for the study and guidance on the DOPPS research and publications. Members of the DSC represent major renal foundations, societies, and patient groups, as well as Arbor Research scientific leadership.
Bruce Robinson, MD, MSCE Vice President, Research DOPPS Principal Investigator
Anna Marti i Monros European Dialysis and Transplant Nurses Association (EDTNA)
Ziad Massy, MD, PhD European Dialysis and Transplant Association (EDTA)
Friedrich K. Port, MD, MS Senior Investigator
Alfred Cheung, MD American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
Bill Peckham, BS Patient advocate
Ron Pisoni, PhD, MS Senior Investigator
Kerry Willis, PhD National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
Nathan Levin, MD International Society of Nephrology (ISN)
Tadao Akizawa, MD, PhD Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy (JSDT)
The Arbor Research project team members of the DOPPS Coordinating Center manage the daily operations of the DOPPS. Overseeing the data collection worldwide, project team members recruit new facilities and work to ensure successful data collection at participating facilities. The DOPPS CC team members also develop the study protocol, questionnaires, and instruments. Research requests and general study inquiries can be directed to the Arbor Research DOPPS CC at dopps@arborresearch.org. Regional Study Coordination In some areas, we rely on regional coordinating partners to facilitate study operations. Any data collection questions or requests can be submitted by email to the DOPPS staff at the following locations:
Europe Anna Marti Monros EDTNA, Project Manager anna.marti.monros@gmail.com
Japan J-DOPPS Coordinating Center The Kidney Foundation, Japan 0120-745-741 dopps@flexibleinc.jp
United States DOPPS Coordinating Center dopps@arborresearch.org
Wang J, Bieber BA, Hou FF, Port FK, Anand S. Mineral and bone disorder and management in the China Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study. Chin Med J (Engl). 2019;132 (23), 2775-2782 AlSahow A, Muenz D, Al-Ghonaim MA, Al Salmi I, Hassan M, Al Aradi AH, Hamad A, Al-Ghamdi SMG, Shaheen FAM, Alyousef A, Bieber BA, Robinson BM, Pisoni RL. Kt/V: achievement, predictors and relationship to mortality in hemodialysis patients in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries: results from DOPPS (2012–18). Clinical Kidney Journal, sfz195, https://doi.org/10.1093/ckj/sfz195 Karaboyas A, Morgenstern H, Li Y, Bieber BA, Hakim R, Hasegawa T, Jadoul M, Schaeffner E, Vanholder R, Pisoni RL, Port FK, Robinson BM. Estimating the Fraction of First-Year Hemodialysis Deaths Attributable to Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors: Results from the DOPPS. Clin Epidemiol 2020:12 51–60. http://doi.org/10.2147/CLEP.S233197 Perl J, Fuller DS, Bieber BA, Boudville N, Kanjanabuch T, Ito Y, Nessim SJ, Piraino BM, Pisoni RL, Robinson BM, Schaubel DE, Schreiber MJ, Teitelbaum I, Woodrow G, Zhao J, Johnson DW. Peritoneal Dialysis-Related Infection Rates and Outcomes: Results From the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS). Am J Kidney Dis. 2020 Jan 10. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2019.09.016. [Epub ahead of print] Wang AY, Zhao J, Bieber B, Kanjanabuch T, Wilkie M, Marshall MR, Kawanishi H, Perl J, Davies S; PDOPPS Dialysis Prescription and Fluid Management Working Group. International comparison of peritoneal dialysis prescriptions from the Peritoneal Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (PDOPPS). Perit Dial Int. 2020 Jan 17: doi: 10.1177/0896860819895356. [Epub ahead of print]
The DOPPS has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers. To search publications on dialysis outcomes and practice patterns, please click here.