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

Written by Dr Kartikeya Kohli Published On 2024-10-28T04:15:46+05:30 | Updated On 28 Oct 2024 12:28 PM IST

Smartphone-based recreational therapy effectively reduces fatigue in hemodialysis patients, claims study published in the BMC Nephrology.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a progressive disorder that often leads to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), necessitating hemodialysis (HD) treatment. Fatigue is a prevalent and debilitating symptom among HD patients, significantly affecting their quality of life. Recreational Therapy (RT) is a therapeutic recreational service designed to maintain and restore a person’s level of performance and independence in daily activities. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a smartphone-based recreational therapy intervention on fatigue in hemodialysis patients.

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

Smartphone-basedrecreationaltherapyeffectivelyreducesfatiguehemodialysispatientsclaimsstudy

Source : BMC Nephrology

Dr Kartikeya Kohli

Dr Kartikeya Kohli is an Internal Medicine Consultant at Sitaram Bhartia Hospital in Delhi with super speciality training in Nephrology. He has worked with various eminent hospitals like Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, Sir Gangaram Hospital. He holds an MBBS from Kasturba Medical College Manipal, DNB Internal Medicine, Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research and Business Development, Fellow DNB Nephrology, MRCP and ECFMG Certification. He has been closely associated with India Medical Association South Delhi Branch and Delhi Medical Association and has been organising continuing medical education programs on their behalf from time to time. Further he has been contributing medical articles for their newsletters as well. He is also associated with electronic media and TV for conduction and presentation of health programs. He has been associated with Medical Dialogues for last 3 years and contributing articles on regular basis.