Comparison of the effectiveness of different home-based exercise programs in donors after liver transplantation: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND

The home exercise programme is a treatment method that ensures the continuity of rehabilitation after discharge. Although it is known that home exercise programmes improve recovery in patients compared to those who do not exercise at all in different diseases, it is not known which home exercise programme is more effective in donors after organ transplantation.

METHODS

A total of 117 donors were included in the study. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: control, home exercise, and video-based exercise groups. While no intervention was made to the control group, the individuals in the other groups were asked to perform the exercises twice a week for 8-weeks, for a total of 16 sessions. The evaluations were performed twice in the hospital environment, before and after the exercise.

RESULTS

The initial test results showed that the data for the groups were similar. In all measurements, a significant difference occurred between the first and second test scores in all three groups (p < 0.05). When comparing the changes in the groups, the brochure-based home exercise group showed a greater increase in the 6-minute walk test score compared to the control group, while the improvement rates in the video-based exercise group were superior to the other two groups in all data except for the non-dominant quadriceps femoris muscle strength (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Home exercise enhances recovery in donor rehabilitation after liver transplantation. When different home-based exercise programs were compared, the video-based exercise program was more effective than the standard brochure-based exercise program.