Page 75 - Physical activity in recipients of solid organ transplantation - Edwin J. van Adrichem

Related to the decreased muscle mass and the
Physical activity in recipients of solid organ transplantation
transplanted organ but functioning as a barrier is a fear of damaging the new organ and
insecurity with body signals.
guidance are o

erefore, it seems important that information and practical
ered to recipients experiencing this barrier.
immunosuppressants on muscle mass, muscle
lead to physical limitations and thereby function as a barrier to PA [17–19,41–43].
distinct aspect mentioned is the expertise of personnel. It is indicated that (allied) health

e negative side-e
ber type switch in combination with the

ects of

ber type proportion and osteoporosis can
17–19,41–43
usually prolonged period of reduced activity prior to and during hospitalization for
transplantation, recipients often experience a lack of strength.

is lack of strength could be
a barrier and a facilitator, however, this needs speci

c attention in this population. A

nal
care providers should have su

cient knowledge about this particular population. Exercise
specialists (e.g. expert physical therapists or clinical kinesiologists) could be deployed to
reduce several barriers and utilize facilitators. With an adequate program and guidance, a
reduction could likely be achieved in physical limitations, fear, side e
and weight as well as an increase in strength, energy level, reinforcement, and self-e
Results of the current study partly con
that study were ‘lack of motivation’, ‘preferring to spend time otherwise’, ‘weather’, ‘fatigue’,
and ‘health conditions’. Major facilitators were health bene
why these barriers and facilitators are experienced. Furthermore, additional transplant

ects of medication,
speci

c barriers and facilitators are identi

ed.
When taking all of the indicated barriers and facilitators into account, it seems that
guidance for SOT recipients could best be initiated in an expert center or by specialized
therapists. Depending on the amount and types of barriers, an interdisciplinary team or
specialized exercise therapist could be deployed to initiate PA following transplantation.
di

er per person, type of transplantation, and rate of recovery after transplantation. As
there were no clear di
facilitators of PA.

To our knowledge, this is the
PA in a qualitative manner and between all SOT groups.

rm the

nding of the quantitative study on
erences between the transplant recipients’ groups, there appears to

29
rst study to investigate barriers to and facilitators of
e major barriers in

cacy.
barriers to and facilitators of PA in kidney transplant recipients.

ts and social support systems.

e current study adds depth to these factors by providing more context and looking at
When su

cient knowledge and experience with training is gained, recipients are likely able
to continue in their own environment.

e most appropriate timing for this program might
be no substantiation for treating these groups di

erently considering barriers to and
various groups experience largely equal barriers and facilitators. A limitation of the study is

erefore, it provides new insight
into the reasons and motives of PA behavior in this population and demonstrates that the
that the current level of PA was not explicitly quanti

ed
analyses could be made on active versus non-active participants.
44,45
and that therefore no sub-

e sample size was small
as is common in qualitative research. Although, one could argue that sixteen participants,
subdivided into four groups is rather limited. However, we checked for newly emerging
themes to determine data saturation and the
themes.

is appears to support the assumption that the concepts derived can be
transferred to a wider population of SOT recipients. Nonetheless, some caution should be

nal four interviews did not yield any new
73.
4