Economic Burden of Patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease and Their Caregivers: A Scoping Review

Hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) treatments impact the economic burden and psychological distress faced by end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients and their caregivers. This review aimed to discuss the concept of an economic burden and the economic burden of different treatment options, and to highlight research gaps regarding the scarcity of previous studies relating economic burden to psychological well-being. We searched five electronic databases for papers published in 2010-2020. Papers focusing on measures of the economic burden from the government's perspective and diseases other than ESKD were excluded. Out of the 6635 publications identified, 10 publications were included. Three categories of economic burden were identified, namely, direct medical costs, direct non-medical costs, and indirect costs. Direct medical costs required the highest expenditure, whereas the lowest economic burden was for indirect costs. HD patients incurred a higher economic burden than PD patients. Most of the studies were carried out in Asia. The results of the research suggest that the economic burden may affect patients and caregivers, but it is unclear whether the economic burden affects the psychological well-being of the patients and caregivers. Very few studies have assessed the relationship between economic burden and psychological well-being, and further research is needed to gain further insight into the relationship between these two variables.