Introduction: Patients undergoing hemodialysis often experience a decrease in quality of life due to complications such as fatigue, necessitating ffective nursing interventions to manage and alleviate these issues.
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Otago exercise on fatigue in hemodialysis patients in selected Aja hospitals in Tehran.
Materials and Methods: This randomized clinical trial comprised two groups with a pre-test and post-test design. The study population included hemodialysis patients at Aja hospitals in Tehran in 2021. Forty-six patients meeting the inclusion criteria were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention group followed the Otago home exercise program for 8 weeks, with three sessions per week lasting one hour each. Data collection involved questionnaires on patient demographics and multidimensional fatigue, analyzed using SPSS21.
Results: No significant differences in demographic characteristics were observed between the intervention and control groups. Prior to the intervention, the mean fatigue levels were 52.69±4.91 in the intervention group and 55.77±4.73 in the control group, a non-significant difference (P= 0.058). Following the intervention, these levels changed to 51.78 ± 4.19 and 55.90 ± 4.37, with a significant difference between the groups (P= 0.002). However, there was no significant change in fatigue levels from pretest to posttest in either the intervention (P= 0.35) or control (P= 0.90) groups.
Conclusion: The Otago exercise demonstrated efficacy in preventing an increase in fatigue among hemodialysis patients. Educating patients on the importance and proper execution of this program, and encouraging its continuation at home, is recommended.