The Life Readiness Program: A physical rehabilitation program for patientson hemodialysis

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing hemodialysis (HD) a re typically sedentary and functionally limited as a consequence of their c ondition. The purpose of this study is to test the effect of a lifestyle ph ysical rehabilitation program (The Life Readiness Program) on physical func tion in patients with ESRD undergoing HD. Physical function was measured by the Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form (KDQOL-SF) physical function score (range, 0 to 100), Eighty-two patients were randomly assigned to a 6 -month rehabilitation program (intervention; n = 39) or to standard clinica l management alone (control; n = 43). The groups were frequency matched by age, sex, ethnicity, and diabetes as the cause of ESRD, General linear mode ling of the change in physical function score was used for multivariate ana lysis. Physical function scores were not different between groups at baseli ne. Change in physical function score increased significantly in the interv ention group compared with the control group when data were adjusted for th e matching variables and adequacy of dialysis (3.2, -3.6; P = 0.04), Additi onally, the control group reported more problems with work or daily functio ns because of emotional problems (P less than or equal to 0.05), In this br ief 6-month intervention, The Life Readiness Program showed the therapeutic benefit of a lifestyle rehabilitation program on functional outcomes and h ealth-related quality of life for patients with ESRD undergoing hemodialysi s. (C) 2000 by the National Kidney Foundation, inc.