Testing of an Innovative Patient-Centered Physical Activity Program for Hemodialysis Patients
Testing of an Innovative Patient-Centered Physical Activity Program for Hemodialysis Patients
Individuals undergoing HD generally have very low physical activity levels, which consequently contributes to elevated levels of perceptions of fatigue, poor physical function, and a decline in overall quality of life, all of which are linked to progressively greater risk for comorbidities and mortality. The various benefits of physical activity for the general population are well understood, showing a dose-response relationship between physical activity and health. While CKD is not reversible, exercise is often encouraged for its potential to slow disease progression, reduce symptom burden, and improve transplant readiness for HD patients. Over the last two decades, efforts have been made to increase physical activity levels in HD patients, yet the benefits are inconsistent and limited. Many interventions have implemented physical activity programs that include simplistic exercise prescriptions, including intradialytic cycling and/or light resistance exercises. These general, non-personalized exercise programs are associated with poor adherence, high dropout rates, and conflicting effects on physical function or other outcomes related to quality of life. As such, many have discussed the need for individualized exercise prescriptions to overcome the barriers that prevent HD patients from meeting national guidelines for exercise.
In this context, the purpose of this study is to compare the efficacy of a personalized, novel intervention (intervention) compared to a standard of care intervention (comparator), and its effect on perceptions of fatigue, self-reported depression, and physical function. Our primary hypothesis is that the intervention group will elicit greater improvement in physical activity levels than the comparator group. Our secondary hypothesis is that the intervention group will elicit greater improvements in perceptions of fatigue, self-reported depression, and physical function than the comparator group.
We have designed a novel physical activity intervention that is designed to overcome many of the barriers to increasing physical activity in this population. The novel physical activity program (intervention group) included 2 phases, a structured phase and a self-directed phase. During the structured phase (weeks 0 through 11), the primary goal was to increase physical activity levels. During the self-directed phase (weeks 13 through 24), the primary goal was to encourage continued physical activity by promoting greater participant autonomy.
The rationale for this approach is that participants are able to choose activities that are important to them, as opposed to prescribed mandated exercises they may not value or benefit from. In brief, it involves working one-on-one with patients to develop an activity prescription that aims to increase the participants' physical activity levels in a sustainable way. Participants had autonomy in selecting their preferred activities, including supervised intradialytic exercises (e.g., cycling or resistance training); at-home exercise (e.g., aerobic, resistance, balance, and flexibility exercises), and lifestyle activities (e.g., gardening, household chores, walking, etc.). This contrasts with what is normally done, which is to assign specific types of exercise that they may not be motivated or willing to do.
If randomized into the control group, this standard of care group aimed to promote engagement in PA during dialysis treatments, similar to the structure of previous studies. Participants in the comparator group were offered a host of supervised intradialytic exercises, including cycling, and 4 resistance exercises: knee flexion, knee extension, calf raises, and seated marching. Participants were met with during each dialysis treatment (approximately 3 times per week, as scheduling allowed) throughout the entire study period t and support progression were encouraged to progress as tolerated.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: