The Effect of Home-Based Exercise on Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of home-based exercise on sarcopenia risk, functional capacity, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep, and quality of life in patients aged 45 and over with chronic kidney disease (Stage 4-5) who are not undergoing dialysis. A total of 26 patients aged 45 and over with chronic kidney disease (Stage 4-5) who are not on dialysis and followed up at the Nephrology Outpatient Clinic, Low Clearance Department of Akdeniz University Hospital, will be included in the study as voluntary participants. The study and control groups will be determined using block randomization method. Both groups will undergo SARC-F questionnaire, anthropometric measurements, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), FACIT fatigue scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Kidney Disease Quality of Life Scale (KDQOL-SF), 6-minute walk test, 10-meter walk speed test, 5-repetition sit-to-stand test, handgrip strength measurement, and manual muscle strength measurements before the study (week 0). In addition to these assessments, the study group will receive a home-based exercise program for 30-55 minutes, 3-4 times a week for 12 weeks, with the intensity of exercise adjusted according to the participant's perceived exertion, and each participant will be supervised by a physiotherapist until they learn the exercises. After 12 weeks, all these questionnaires and tests will be repeated for both groups, and the results will be compared. Additionally, in this study, a website will be designed to facilitate access to and monitoring of home-based exercise programs, enabling participants to benefit from telehealth services-a prominent topic in recent healthcare research. At the end of the intervention, the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale (EARS) will be administered to the intervention group to evaluate patients' adherence to the prescribed home exercise program, as well as the reasons for adherence or non-adherence. Through this assessment, the effectiveness of the implemented telehealth service will be measured. Therefore, this study emphasizes a personalized and comprehensive approach that not only addresses health-related outcomes but also aims to improve patients' overall quality of life.