Physical Activity in Peritoneal Dialysis: The Opinion of the Nephrologists Report dal XVII Convegno Nazionale del Gruppo di Studio SIN “Dialisi Peritoneale”

Abstract

At the 17th national meeting of the “Peritoneal dialysis” Study Group (Italian Society of Nephrology), held in Montecatini Terme (20–22 March, 2014), 141 physicians received a questionnaire to survey the opinion of the Italian Nephrologists on the issue of physical activity in peritoneal dialysis patients. All participants agreed on the benefits of physical activity and on the need for its implementation in dialysis patients. Overall, 90% of the participants considered physical activity as an important aspect of the clinical care management. Most of the Nephrologists (61%) believed that patients are interested in exercising and that they can improve their physical activity if motivated or stimulated by the dialysis staff. However, some warnings (by 85% of the physicians) emerged about the safety of physical activity in dialysis patients. Despite this, many Nephrologists believed they could be able to prescribe exercises to their patients. About 86% of the participants declared to give advices about physical activity, but only few of them (7%) provided written informative material or worked together with professionals in the field of physical activity care. In conclusion, the survey revealed that participants strongly believe that a sedentary lifestyle is deleterious and that physical activity should be implemented in peritoneal dialysis patients. However, this implementation seems to be rather difficult in real life. Therefore, it is highly desirable to create a scientific cooperation among specialists and health professionals of different fields to improve the physical activity and exercise programs of peritoneal dialysis patients.