Physical Exercise in People with Chronic Kidney Disease-Practices and Perception of the Knowledge of Health Professionals and Physical Activity and Sport Science Professionals about Their Prescription

There is evidence on the need to include physical exercise as a treatment for diseases. A large number of professionals are involved in this, but it is not known how physical exercise is prescribed and which professionals are involved. This research has two objectives: (a) to find out the current practices in Spain regarding the prescription of physical exercise in patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and (b) to analyse the perception that different health and physical activity professionals have of their knowledge to prescribe of physical exercise in the treatment of CKD. This is an empirical research with an ex post facto retrospective analysis of the information in a descriptive and correlational way. A total of 692 health and sports professionals participated. A questionnaire validated by a committee of experts was administered. Descriptive analyses were carried out and the differences in the study variables were analysed using Chi-square tests and one-factor Analysis of Variance. From the results obtained, we conclude there is a need to develop specific training programmes in the field of physical exercise for health professionals, as well as the establishment of multiprofessional teams for the prescription of physical exercise in CKD treatment, including physical exercise professionals (Cafyde).

Automated summary

This research aims to investigate the current practices of prescribing physical exercise for CKD patients in Spain and analyze the perception of different health and physical activity professionals regarding their knowledge in prescribing physical exercise for CKD treatment. The findings suggest the need to develop specific training programs for health professionals and establish multidisciplinary teams, including physical exercise professionals (Cafyde), for prescribing physical exercise in CKD treatment.