Webinars
Catch up on our past webinars for patients and the public or sign up to join the next one
Can an exercise and motivational programme improve quality of life for liver transplant patients? | Webinars
Learn about the latest research in organ donation and transplantation from the researchers striving to improve outcomes for patients. Our free patient and public webinars provide accessible information about the latest research developments and give you an opportunity to ask any questions you might have.
You can watch recordings of past webinars below, or find out how to make sure you don't miss the next one.
Can an exercise and motivational programme improve quality of life for liver transplant patients?
On 28th May 2025, Ashlea Hargreaves (Research Physiotherapist at Birmingham Biomedical Research Centre) joined us in a webinar to discuss the ongoing trial 'Home-based exercise and motivational programme before and after liver transplantation'.
The research
Researchers want to find out whether implementing an exercise and motivation programme could help to improve the quality of life in people who have had a liver transplant.
They are doing this by asking patients to complete an exercise and support programme made by physiotherapists both before and after receiving a liver transplant.
The webinar
Your submitted questions
Below are your submitted questions from the webinar, with answers provided by the speaker Ashlea Hargreaves.
Was the exercise all done at home except for the tests?
Yes
Were there any supervised exercised sessions?
Within each face-to-face visit we went through the entire exercise programme issued to the patient to check their technique. It was devised as a home-based programme with catered exercises delivered to each individual. All exercise booklets were for body weight and home-based exercises to be done with no equipment.
Why were the PLD patients excluded from the trial?
We wanted to look at it from a liver failure perspective and end stage liver disease.
Are you able to share the resources?
Unfortunately, we are not able to share the booklets specifically.
What kind of exercises were in the programme?
Pull and push motion exercises, wall press sit to stand, lunges, press ups, bridge exercises, and plank exercises.
Did the people in the control group also see any benefit?
Yes, there was lots of positive feedback from both groups. This included: having guidance and a chance to discuss problems, consistency in seeing patients before and after transplant, and being grateful for support.
How did patients feel about the extra training to help with motivation?
We wanted to promote autonomy and completely by utilising different techniques, helping patients to recognise their symptoms and discuss barriers, which helped motivation. The difficulties were that we were not delivering that type of intervention to the control group.
Would you be able to talk about the specific quality of life measures used?
Quality of life was measured using a questionnaire called the SF36 quality of life questionnaire. It gives scores for cognitive and physical aspects. These scores can be compared from the first to last visit, hopefully showing improvement.
In an ideal world do you think the study should be extended to one year post-transplant?
Yes, ideally. There is a lack of evidence for long-term outcomes after liver transplants. We hope that the trial group gives a little insight as to the physical and psychological aspects and whether a support visit would be beneficial.
Don't miss our next webinar
You can find out about upcoming webinars on our events page here or sign up to our mailing list to make sure you never miss an update.