Smartphone-based recreational therapy effectively reduces fatigue in hemodialysis patients, claims study

This randomized controlled trial was conducted on HD patients at a hospital in Mashhad, Iran. The intervention group received a custom-designed mobile application for recreational therapy, including music, comedy, exercise, and educational content. The control group received standard care. Fatigue was assessed using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20) before and after the 30-day intervention. Results: 72 patients (36 per group) participated in the study.

The intervention group demonstrated a significant reduction in overall fatigue scores and improvements across various dimensions, including general fatigue, physical fatigue, mental fatigue, reduced activity, and reduced motivation, compared to the control group (p < 0.001). The smartphone-based recreational therapy intervention effectively reduced fatigue in hemodialysis patients. This approach could be a valuable complementary strategy for managing fatigue in this population. Further research is needed to explore the long-term sustainability of these benefits and the intervention’s impact on other patient-reported outcomes.

Reference:

Alishahi, M., Mazloum, S.R., Mohajer, S. et al. The effect of recreational therapy application on fatigue in hemodialysis patients: a randomized clinical trial. BMC Nephrol 25, 368 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-024-03807-4