Profile of professionals working in intradialytic exercise programs in Brazil: a national survey

OBJECTIVE: This survey was designed to assess the profile of professionals working in intradialytic exercise programs (IEPs) in Brazil and reveal the motivators and barriers they face. METHODS: The survey was sent to physiotherapists and exercise physiologists working in IEPs in Brazil. Phone interviews and electronic forms were used to collect the answers to the survey questionnaire. RESULTS: Forty-one of the 261 included dialysis centers had IEPs; 44 professionals answered the questionnaire over the phone and 26 used the electronic form to do it. A total of 70 professionals (mean age 33.4±7.4 years; 84.3% physiotherapists) answered the questionnaire. Resistance training was the preferred mode of therapy. Most of the IEPs were connected to research and were paid for by private health insurance. The desire to work in a different field (30.0%) and lack of resources (31.4%) were the most prevalent motivator and barrier cited by IEP professionals working in dialysis centers, respectively. CONCLUSION: The majority of the few professionals that work in IEPs in Brazil are physiotherapists. Lack of resources was the most commonly reported barrier faced by survey respondents.