Abstract
This survey was designed to assess the profile of professionals working in intradialytic exercise programs (IEPs) in Brazil and reveal the motivators and barriers they face. The survey was sent to physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working in IEPs in Brazil. Phone interviews and electronic forms were used to collect the answers to the survey questionnaire. Forty-one of the 261 included dialysis centers had IEPs; 44 professionals answered the questionnaire over the phone and 26 used the electronic form to do it. A total of 70 professionals (mean age 33.4±7.4 years; 84.3% physiotherapists) answered the questionnaire. Resistance training was the preferred mode of therapy. Most of the IEPs were connected to research and were paid for by private health insurance. The desire to work in a different field (30.0%) and lack of resources (31.4%) were the most prevalent motivator and barrier cited by IEP professionals working in dialysis centers, respectively. The majority of the few professionals that work in IEPs in Brazil are physiotherapists. Lack of resources was the most commonly reported barrier faced by survey respondents.
Highlights
The desire to work in a different field and lack of resources were the most prevalent motivator and barrier cited by intradialytic exercise programs (IEPs) professionals working in dialysis centers, respectively (Table 1)
This study looked into the profile of professionals working in IEPs in Brazil
The main findings for the 70 professionals included in the study were: most of them were physiotherapists involved in research; the most commonly used mode of therapy was resistance training; the desire to work in a different field was the main motivator behind the choice to work at a dialysis center; and lack of resources stood out as the main barrier faced by professionals working in this field
Summary
Lack of resources has been recognized as a barrier to the implementation of IEPs, little is known about the professionals working in these programs. The population included in the study comprised physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working in IEPs in Brazil. The physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working with IET at the included centers were interviewed over the phone using a standard questionnaire as reference for data collection.
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