Do we need a nutrition-specific quality of life questionnaire for dialysis patients?
Food, eating, and quality of life are intimately related. Available generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments address nutrition only with respect to the ability to eat and omit more dynamic components of nutrition such as sensory enjoyment of food and food intake. For improved assessment and monitoring of nutrition-related quality of life in hemodialysis patients, a nutrition-specific questionnaire is recommended, consisting of two tools: the Appetite and Dietary Assessment Tool (ADAT), already used in many dialysis clinics, and the nutrition-specific Food Enjoyment in Dialysis (FED) questionnaire which asks 10 additional questions on sensory changes, thirst, gastrointestinal symptoms, side effects from medications and/or dialysis, and feelings of satisfaction and control. This nutrition-specific information should permit comprehensive evaluation and monitoring of changes in nutrition related quality of life. When coupled with generic and disease specific tools, it will provide a complete picture of quality of life in hemodialysis patients.