Box 2.

National expert variables

Facilities

Number of dialysis facilities

The percentage of haemodialysis facilities owned by the public, private not-for-profit and private for-profit sector†

Restriction on setting up new haemodialysis facilities

Facility reimbursement method (activity based versus global budget)†

Facility reimbursement rates for HD and PD

Staffing

Salaries of dialysis technicians, nurses and doctors

Indicator of nephrologist salary relative to other hospital specialists†

Number of nephrologists (total and WTE)

Renal service

Patient choice between dialysis providers

Competition for patients between dialysis providers

Laws restricting home dialysis†

Likert Scale questions

Distance to haemodialysis centre—as a barrier to RRT†

Distance to haemodialysis centre—as a reason for choosing PD rather than HD†

Non-referral of elderly/co-morbid patients†

Social and cultural attitudes of patients†

Limited resources for haemodialysis†

Active conservative/non-dialysis programme†

Indicators relating to renal service organization and delivery

^†Collected for all five study periods. WTE = whole time equivalent.