Quality of life is assessed with the EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ -CR29 questionnaires, and patients' satisfaction with care is determined using the EORTC IN-PATSAT32.
Then, geographic coordinates for the center of the polygon defined by each 6 digit postal code (of patient residence and ESRD care centres) was determined using the PCCF and Canadian Postal Data Software (MelissaData, CA).
The statistical significance of changes in process-of-care variables was determined using a two-tailed Fisher's exact test with missing data treated as a separate category, and also with the missing data excluded from the calculations, so that the extent to which missing data contributed to the change could be assessed.
The location of care (i.e., discharged home to outpatient care or with home health care services, transferred to rehabilitation units, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or medically supervised nursing homes for short-term care) following discharge was determined using disposition status data from the five states.
In addition, for economic outcomes, health care resource utilization was determined using outpatient visits, emergency room, visits, inpatient admissions, inpatient length of stay (days), endocrinologist visits, and diabetes-related health care resource utilization using claims with a primary or secondary diagnosis of diabetes (ICD-9-CM code 250.xx).
The reported pattern of self-care behavior adopted was determined using the Health Behaviors Inventory HBII) [ 52].
Besides the SA+ tool, quality care delivery in the sampled health facilities was determined using SafeCare Essentials tool (see data analysis section) and secondary data on NHIA accreditation scores.
