{
  "abstract": "Background: Physical inactivity significantly contributes to the rapid decline in clinical and health-related outcomes among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Exergaming may offer a safe, effective, and sustainable solution for maintaining adequate physical activity levels in these patients.\n\nObjective: This study aims to support its clinical applicability; our aim was to examine the attitudes and expectations of health care providers regarding intradialytic exergaming (IEG) in hemodialysis care in Slovakia.\n\nMethods: We conducted 21 individual, in-person, semistructured interviews with health care providers. Using purposive sampling, we included training assistants, nurses, nephrologists, and managers from 2 dialysis centers in Slovakia. The verbatim transcripts of interviews were qualitatively analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. The identified codes and themes were further deductively categorized into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and/or threats quadrants of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) framework.\n\nResults: We identified 2 strengths, 2 weaknesses, 3 opportunities, and 3 threats of IEG. Strengths included health care providers’ enthusiasm and belief in the safety of IEG. Weaknesses involved concerns about the complexity of IEG and low digital literacy among patients and providers. Opportunities were seen in improving information availability and specificity, adjusting clinical culture, and tailoring exercises. Threats included skepticism about the availability of financial resources for IEG, resistance to changes in clinical practice, and issues related to patient behavior and privacy.\n\nConclusions: Health care providers perceived IEG as a safe and appropriate intervention for clinical practice. To improve implementation strategies, it is important to consider specific expectations regarding resource availability, as well as the technological and organizational aspects of IEG.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Health Psychology and Research Methodology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Trieda SNP 1, Košice, 040 11, Slovakia",
    "Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Växthuset, House 511-001, Linköping, Östergötland, SE-581 83, Sweden, 46 11363550",
    "Department of Community and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands",
    "Olomouc University Social Health Institute, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic",
    "Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Pavol Jozef Šafárik, Košice, Slovakia",
    "Fresenius Medical Care Dialysis Services Košice, Košice, Slovakia",
    "Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Aurel Zelko",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9682-2225"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marianna Antoniadou",
      "orcid": "0009-0005-6304-3942"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3,
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Jaroslav Rosenberger",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7201-889X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zuzana Dankulincova Veselska",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7599-2196"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        2,
        3,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Andrea Madarasova Geckova",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2993-3798"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Leonie Klompstra",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7493-0353"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tiny Jaarsma",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4197-4026"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3ky8hfanyqbpq.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.2196/106283",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13734701/",
  "id": "3ky8hfanyqbpq",
  "issns": [
    "2369-2529"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.2196/106283",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Exergames, Active Games and Gamification of Physical Activity"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Games and Gamification for Health"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Nephrology/Renal Disorders"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Original Paper"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Registered Report"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Serious Games for Health and Medicine"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "Use and Perceptions of Technology in Everyday Life and for Rehabilitation"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2727|Dialysis and Renal Disease Management"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7225250987",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": "PMC13734701",
  "pmid": "42981700",
  "published": "2026-11-04",
  "publisher": "JMIR Publications Inc.",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3ky8hfanyqbpq.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-08T12:24:07Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13734701",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.2196/106283"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2727|Dialysis and Renal Disease Management",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Analysis of Health Care Providers' Attitudes and Expectations on Intradialytic Exergaming: Qualitative SWOT Study",
  "title_text": "Analysis of Health Care Providers' Attitudes and Expectations on Intradialytic Exergaming: Qualitative SWOT Study",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T12:24:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3ky8hfanyqbpq",
  "venue": "JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies",
  "versions": []
}