A study to assess the effect of physical therapy programme on QOL of patients with renal disease on hemodialysis in hospital

Abstract

Abstract: Background: People living with advanced chronic kidney disease who receive maintenance haemodialysis commonly experience reduced exercise capacity, muscle weakness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, limitations in social and occupational roles, and substantial treatment-related burden. Quality of life is therefore an important outcome alongside biochemical control and dialysis adequacy. Structured physiotherapy may offer a practical way to address deconditioning, but benefits differ across populations and quality-of-life domains. Aim: To assess the effect of a structured physical therapy programme on health-related quality of life among patients with renal disease receiving maintenance haemodialysis at DH Mohali. Design and proposed methods: This manuscript presents a proposed quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test study with a usual-care comparison group. Eligible adults receiving stable maintenance haemodialysis would be assessed at baseline and after an eight- to twelve-week supervised programme. A kidney disease-specific quality-of-life measure. Functional capacity, fatigue, attendance, and exercise-related adverse events would be recorded as secondary outcomes. A final protocol should determine sample size from a prespecified primary outcome, confirm local feasibility, and obtain institutional ethics approval before recruitment. Expected contribution: Evidence syntheses suggest that structured exercise may improve functional capacity and the physical component of health-related quality of life, although effects on mental health and several kidney-specific domains are less certain (Bernier-Jean et al., 2022; Greenwood et al., 2021). This study would provide local data on whether a supervised, individualised programme can be delivered safely and whether changes in quality-of-life scores are clinically meaningful in the participating dialysis unit. Reporting status: No participants, study dates, ethics approval number, outcome scores, or statistical findings were supplied for this draft. Accordingly, this document is written as a research protocol manuscript and does not claim that the proposed study has been completed. Th