Exercise Intervention Attrition, Compliance, Adherence, and Progression Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Exercise is widely touted as an effective intervention to optimize health and well‐being after high‐dose chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. OBJECTIVES: This article reports attrition, compliance, adherence, and progression from the strength training arm of the single‐blind randomized, controlled trial Strength Training to Enhance Early Recovery (STEER). METHODS: 37 patients were randomized to the intervention and participated in a structured strength training program introduced during hospitalization and continued for six weeks after release. Research staff and patients maintained exercise logs to document compliance, adherence, and progression. FINDINGS: No patients left the study because of burden. Patients were compliant with completion of exercise sessions, and their adherence was high; they also progressed on their exercise prescription. Because STEER balances intervention effectiveness with patient burden, the findings support the likelihood of successful translation into clinical practice.