XXI. International Congress on
Renal Nutrition and Metabolism

Professionals from the Global Renal Exercise (GREX) Network

The Global Renal Exercise Network is an international group of researchers, clinicians, industry, and patient partners whose mission is to foster collaborative research and improve the implementation of exercise and physical activity programs that optimize health outcomes in people with CKD.   Implementing evidence-based exercise programs in CKD is complex, in part because of the complexity of the disease, the required changes in behavior, and a lack of trained professionals to implement effective programs.  To address these gaps, GREX developed a program entitled: “Prescribing Exercise in CKD:  A Training Program for Health Care Professionals”.  The program includes both online modules and an internship for hands-on training. In this workshop, we will discuss and demonstrate fundamental principles included in the training, with a focus on assessment of physical function and principles of exercise prescription.

Learning objectives:

1. Understand the primary barriers to implementing physical activity and exercise programs in CKD and develop strategies to address these.
2. Demonstrate how to assess patients for inclusion into exercise programs and to conduct appropriate physical function testing to inform exercise prescription
3. Use case studies and interactive learning to understand how to prescribe exercise using the FITT-VP principle (Frequency, Intensity, Type, Timing, Volume and Progression)
4. Discuss how to utilize the GREX training program, including how to take the online modules, how to identify an internship site for experiential learning opportunities, and how to build the capacity to become an internship training site.