Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

In April 2013, we held a two-day meeting funded by a Planning grant from the CIHR - Institute of Nutrition, Diabetes and Metabolism to discuss research gaps in the area of exercise training and rehabilitation for solid organ transplant (SOT) candidates and recipients, identify important research questions and create a knowledge translation plan. Over a two-day period, more than 50 researchers, clinicians, administrators and patient representatives from Canada and the USA participated in a knowledge exchange through scientific presentations and facilitated discussions. This resulted in consensus-based recommendations for research goals in exercise and rehabilitation for SOT recipients, with the first priority being to develop a strategy for "dissemination of best available evidence for exercise in SOT to healthcare professionals, healthcare administrators, patients & families and advocacy groups" to inform clinical practice and advance the research agenda. Therefore, as a next step, we aim to 1) disseminate the evidence supporting exercise training in SOT to exercise professionals, allied health professionals, physicians and directors of transplant programs and enhance their ability to apply the evidence in their practice; 2) provide information to patients, their families and client-centered advocacy groups to motivate patient engagement in exercise programs and to advocate for access to rehabilitation services at their transplant centres; and 3) build a community of exercise professionals and researchers across Canada. These aims will be accomplished by pre-visit site preparation and on-site interactive presentations to the largest multi-organ transplant centers in Canada, development of web-based resources, and patient-directed webinars, with oversight by a national steering committee.