Renal rehabilitation learning in Japanese physical therapy schools: a fact-finding study

Abstract Background The scope and content of pregraduate education in renal rehabilitation, a comprehensive program for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), at training institutions remain unclear. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the state of renal rehabilitation education at physical therapy schools in Japan via a survey. Methods Questionnaire forms were distributed to instructors responsible for physical therapy across 277 physical therapy schools in Japan. The questionnaire comprised items that assessed the opinions of the respondents on the necessity of learning renal rehabilitation during their student days and after graduation and the content covered at institutions that offered classes on renal rehabilitation. The participating institutions were divided into Renal Rehab Education and No Renal Rehab Education groups. Fisher’s exact and chi-squared tests were used to compare variables between the groups. Results Among the 154 schools that responded to the survey between 14 June 2023 and 31 August 2023 (response rate 55.6%), 123 schools (79.9%) were included in the Renal Rehab Education group. The percentage of classes on rehabilitation for patients with endocrine/metabolic diseases, digestive system diseases, and cancer was higher in the Renal Rehab Education group than that in the No Renal Rehab Education group (P = 0.02, P < 0.001, and P = 0.003, respectively). The distribution of the perceived need to learn renal rehabilitation during student days and after graduation differed significantly between the Renal Rehab Education and No Renal Rehab Education groups (P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Exercise therapy for patients with CKD (83.7%); definition, diagnosis, severity classification, and testing for CKD (81.3%); general remarks on renal rehabilitation (80.5%); pathophysiology of CKD (78.9%); and renal replacement therapy (69.9%) were the most frequently implemented contents. Prioritization of other fields (45.2%), insufficient class hours (41.9%), and lack of specialized faculty (38.7%) were identified as reasons for not implementing renal rehabilitation courses in the No Renal Rehab Education group; however, 77.4% of schools in this group aimed to commence courses in the future. Conclusions Approximately 80% of physiotherapy schools offered renal rehabilitation courses. Awareness campaigns must be conducted to facilitate the widespread implementation of renal rehabilitation

Factors Associated with Increased Caregiver Burden of Informal Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan

This study’s objective was to explore the association between various factors and the increased caregiver burden of informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. On February, 2021, 700 informal caregivers completed an online survey. We assessed the change in caregiver burden during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among all caregiver participants, 287 (41.0%) complained of an increased caregiver burden due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The factors associated with increased caregiver burden were depressive symptoms in caregivers [odds ratio (OR), 2.20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.50–3.23], dementia (OR, 2.48; 95%CI, 1.07–5.73) and low Barthel Index scores (OR, 2.01; 95%CI, 1.39–2.90) in care receivers, care days (OR, 1.09; 95%CI, 1.01–1.17) and times (OR, 1.06; 95%CI, 1.01–1.10), and use of home care service (OR, 1.46; 95%CI, 1.01–2.10) and visiting care service (OR, 1.71; 95%CI, 1.20–2.45). These findings suggest we need to pay attention to the physical and mental health of both the care receivers and caregivers