Application effect of an evidence-based early functional exercise program in kidney transplant recipients

This study evaluates the clinical application effect of an evidence-based early functional exercise program in kidney transplant recipients. A retrospective study design was adopted. A total of 84 patients who underwent kidney transplantation in a tertiary hospital from January 2025 to March 2026 were selected as the study subjects. According to whether they received the evidence-based early functional exercise program, they were divided into a control group (conventional care) and an evidence-based practice (EBP) group (evidence-based program care), with 42 cases in each group. Propensity score matching was used to ensure baseline comparability between the 2 groups. Early functional recovery indicators, activities of daily living, pain scores, self-efficacy, and postoperative complication rates were compared between the 2 groups. The time to 1st postoperative ambulation in the EBP group was significantly earlier than that in the control group (median 23.0 vs 98.0 hours, P < .001), and the rate of ambulation within 24 hours was significantly higher (66.7% vs 7.1%, P < .001). The time to 1st flatus, time to 1st defecation, and postoperative hospital stay in this group were significantly better than those in the control group (P < .001). At discharge, the Barthel index score (88.2 ± 5.9 vs 75.8 ± 7.6, P < .001) and the proportion of patients with complete independence in daily living (47.6% vs 14.3%, P = .005) in the EBP group were significantly higher than those in the control group. At 3 days postoperatively, the numeric rating scale score in the EBP group was lower than that in the control group (median 3.5 vs 5.0, P < .001); the improvement in self-efficacy score was also significantly better than that in the control group (P < .001). In this retrospective propensity score-matched cohort, receipt of the evidence-based early functional exercise program was associated with earlier postoperative ambulation and gastrointestinal recovery, better activities of daily living and self-efficacy, lower pain scores, and a lower observed complication rate, without an observed increase in falls. These findings suggest that the program may have potential clinical value, although prospective multicenter studies are needed to confirm causality and generalizability.