Table 2 Knowledge and perceived potential benefits of exercise for dialysis patients

Patients

• Making you feel better and just making you able to do more things I guess. [Interview 6, F, 64 yo, White]

• I wouldn’t be doing quite as well as I am doing now if I wasn’t doing some form of exercise. [Interview 8, M, 65 yo, Black]

Staff

• I just think it might change their whole attitude, like to a more healthier, more compliant attitude, if they start exercising. [Interview 27, 46 yo, Nurse]

Physicians

• Helps release endorphins and makes people feel better overall [Interview 34, M, 42 yo, academic]

Patients

• Was on three blood pressure pills, now I don’t take any [after exercising regularly] [Interview 4, M, 64 yo, Black]

Staff

• [Exercise during HD would] bring their blood pressure up while they were on the machines, and actually it would hopefully help them lose a little bit more water-weight, if they broke out a little sweat while they were on the machines. [Interview 25, 46 yo, Nurse]

• Improved cardiac health, improved cardiac output. For some of our diabetic patients and patients with vascular disease I would think that even some simple exercises would help to improve their vascular health. [Interview 29, 58 yo, Administrator]

• mobilization of edema would be another benefit. [Interview 29, 58 yo, Administrator]

Physicians

• One of the biggest morbidities of dialysis is cardio-vascular so improving cardiovascular health……when patients have very low blood pressure [during HD treatment] sometimes it [exercise during HD] helps keep the pressure up [Interview 34, M, 42 yo, academic]

Patients

• It gives me more energy. And the more energy I have, the more I feel like doing things. [Interview 12, M, 75 yo, White]

• I can go longer than I would be able to go if I wasn’t doing exercise at all. [Interview 8, M, 65 yo, Black]

Staff

• they will have a lot of energy, more energy. That would be a major benefit, [Interview 27, 46 yo, Nurse]

Physicians

• Exercise is very good for helping people to deal with energy level…. [Interview 34, M, 42 yo, academic]

Patients

• I don’t have the tightness in my knees [Interview 4, M, 64 yo, Black]

• exercise can …….. help with balance…because that’s where your balance comes from [leg and thigh strengthening] [Interview 16, M, 81 yo, Black]

Staff

• I like to keep people moving, the more you move, the more the muscle grows back, the less likely it is for you to have atrophy problems and then its gonna eventually impact your ADLs [activities of daily living]. [Interview 25, 46 yo, Nurse]

Physicians

• Help strength and balance and help them recover if they were ever in a situation where they would fall.[Interview 32, F, 43 yo, private practice]

• May allow them to remain independent longer [Interview 31, F, 66 yo, academic]

Patients

• It gives me a better appetite. [Interview 4, M, 64 yo, Black]

• I have COPD and exercise can help me breathe better [Interview 16, M, 81 yo, Black]

Staff

• Improving the metabolism …… I think that an improved metabolism could actually help with their nutritional status. [Interview 25, 46 yo, Nurse]

Physicians

• Sometimes it can help relieve muscle cramps because a lot of these patients have cramps [Interview 33, F, 39 yo, private practice]

• It helps keep the weight down because a lot of the dialysis patients you know they’re diabetic they could be obese so that helps a lot. [Interview 33, F, 39 yo, private practice]

• In some ways I think you would be better off [exercising during HD], because the thing I worry about with exercise is are you releasing potassium into the blood because of the exercises. [Interview 36, M, 39 yo, private practice]

Patients

• Exercising keeps you on a [reduced] stress level [Interview 10, F, 54 yo, Black]

Staff

• I think it would help as far as depression goes, you know, I think exercise has definitely been shown to lift the mood, elevate your mood.[Interview 17, 67 yo, Nurse]

• Maybe a mental health benefit that they’re doing something productive rather than just whiling away time in the dialysis chair. [Interview 29, 58 yo, Administrator]

• Maybe improve mental health as they’re accomplishing simple exercise goals, and the satisfaction and accomplishment that comes along with that. [Interview 30, 54 yo, Administrator]

Physicians

• Improved sense of well-being, improved mood, and I think that would be a big quality of life improvement for dialysis patients. [Interview 36, M, 39 yo, private practice]

• A lot of these patients they have very sedentary lifestyles and won’t leave home and a large portion of them I would think for them just coming to dialysis is their only you know trip of the outside world, know give them a sense of participating in something [exercise during HD] [Interview 33, F, 39 yo, private practice]