OBJECTIVES: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) affects patient-reported outcomes (PRO), including health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and psychological distress. HRQoL in dialysis patients measures the physical, social or emotional well-being that is affected by ESRD and/or its treatment, and has been increasingly used as an outcome measure in interventional studies. Psychological distress is a subset of HRQoL that specifically evaluates the impact on mental health. In addition, social support and patients’ perception of illness have been shown to predict all-cause mortality in ESRD patients. However, local data comparing PRO and social support in hemodialysis (HD) vs. peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients are lacking. Hence, the objective of this cross-sectional, observational study was to evaluate and compare patient-reported and laboratory outcomes in our multi-ethnic HD and PD patients. METHODS: Eligible chronic dialysis patients from National University Hospital were recruited. PRO measures include Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form, EuroQoL-5 Dimensions and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. Social support was assessed using Family Functioning Measure. Relevant sociodemographic information and medication list/laboratory parameters were captured using a pre-tested health services utilization questionnaire, and clinic notes/electronic medical records respectively. All data were analysed and compared between HD and PD patients using Stata version 10. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients were recruited (HD: n=81, PD: n=32). There were no significant differences in HRQoL, social support, level of distress and most laboratory parameters between HD and PD patients. However, HD patients had significantly higher serum albumin levels (38.2±3.6 g/L vs. 32.5±4.5 g/L, p<0.001) while PD patients had significantly higher serum corrected calcium levels (2.41±0.2 mmol/L vs. 2.27±0.2 mmol/L, p=0.004) and number of medications (10.1±3.1 vs. 8.8±2.9, p=0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Barring cost and patient-specific factors, HD and PD are likely equivalent therapeutic options for ESRD patients in Singapore. However, the findings need to be confirmed in a larger study.