A personalized patient-centered intervention to empower through physical activity the patient in the dialysis center: Study protocol for a pragmatic nonrandomized clinical trial

Sedentariness of patients affected by end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) expose them to high risk of unfavorable clinical outcomes. Exercise training is effective in improving physical function, quality of life (QoL) and long-term outcomes. However, the existing barriers related to patients, programs and dialysis staff limit patient participation and call for new strategies. This pragmatic nonrandomized trial will test the impact on ESKD population of an intervention proposed by an exercise facilitator regularly present in a dialysis center. The patient will be free to choose among three-month walking and/or resistance low-intensity training programs: (a) guided physical activity increase; (b) home-based exercise; (c) in-hospital (pre/post dialysis) supervised exercise; (d) performance assessment only. The first phase will define feasibility and the characteristics and preference of responders. The second phase will evaluate safety and patients’ adherence. Outcome measures will be collected at baseline, after three-month and at six-month follow-up. They will include: aerobic capacity, QoL, gait speed, strength, depression and long-term clinical outcomes (hospitalization and mortality). The trial was approved by the Area-Vasta Emilia-Romagna Centro Ethics Committee with approval number 48/2019. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results of the study will be presented in international congresses, published in peer-reviewed journals and communicated to the patient community. Registration details: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04282616 [Registered:24/02/2020]