Patients' satisfaction with information about phosphate-binding medication

Information about treatment and its potential side effects has been identified as a core information need amongst Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients. Developing effective interventions to meet patients' information needs requires a better understanding of the specific types of needs from the patients' perspective. Phosphate binding medication (PBM) is an integral component of the treatment regimen for dialysis dependent CKD stage 5 (CKD 5) patients. The aim of this study was to explore patient satisfaction with information received about PBM. Two hundred and twenty-one CKD 5 patients completed the Satisfaction with Information about Medicines Scale (SIMS); a validated measure of patients' satisfaction with various aspects of information provision. The findings suggest that CKD 5 patients may have outstanding PBM information needs, particularly relating to the potential problems associated with PBM. This study justifies further work to identify and address information needs amongst CKD 5 patients.