Prehabilitation program for kidney transplant candidates

PREhabilitation of CAndidates for REnal Transplantation: a Hybrid Study

Not applicable Interventional University Medical Center Groningen · NCT05489432

This study is testing a special health program for people waiting for a kidney transplant to see if it helps them become stronger and healthier before their surgery compared to those who get regular care.

Quick facts

PhaseNot applicable
Study typeInterventional
Enrollment128 (estimated)
Ages18 Years and up
SexAll
SponsorUniversity Medical Center Groningen Academic / other
Locations1 site (Groningen)
Trial IDNCT05489432 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This study offers a personalized, multi-modal prehabilitation intervention to 64 patients on the kidney transplant waiting list, comparing their outcomes to a control group receiving standard care. Eligible candidates will be screened for physical, nutritional, and psychological issues and randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. The intervention consists of a 12-week prehabilitation program followed by a 12-week consolidation phase, with the primary outcome being frailty status measured at three time points. The goal is to enhance the overall health status of kidney transplant candidates to better prepare them for surgery and recovery.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates are adult patients (18 years and older) who are on the kidney transplant waiting list at the University Medical Center Groningen.

Not a fit: Patients who are unable to read or speak Dutch, those requiring combined organ transplants, or those involved in other lifestyle intervention programs may not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this program could significantly improve the health and recovery outcomes for kidney transplant candidates.

How similar studies have performed: While research on prehabilitation in transplant populations is limited, existing studies suggest that such interventions are safe, feasible, and may positively impact pre- and postoperative outcomes.

Eligibility criteria

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

1. Adult kidney transplant candidates (≥18 years)
2. Listed for kidney transplantation on the UMCG kidney transplant waiting list at the start of the study or wait listed during the inclusion period (October 2022 - March 2025).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Inability to read and/or speak Dutch
2. Combined organ transplantation (e.g., kidney+pancreas, kidney+liver)
3. In case of living donor kidney transplant: a transplantation planned within 3 months
4. Involved in a lifestyle intervention program

Where this trial is running

Groningen

Study contacts

How to participate

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Conditions PrehabilitationKidney Transplant CandidatesFrailty
Last reviewed 2026-06-09 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.