End-stage renal disease(ESRD) is an advanced chronic kidney disease state requiring renal transplantation or renal replacement therapy [1]. Dialysis is the main choice of kidney replacement therapy in most countries [2]. The estimated global prevalence of ESRD patients requiring renal replacement therapy is between 4.902 and 7.083 million [3]. In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of ESRD patients undergoing dialysis have also increased rapidly worldwide [4].

Maintaining a level of physical activity is important for patients undergoing dialysis, and there is evidence to suggest that increasing physical activity level is associated with quality of life and mortality in dialysis patients [5,6]. However, a sedentary lifestyle is frequent in dialysis patients whose physical capabilities are largely reduced. Meanwhile, the majority of dialysis patients still lack planned and organized exercise [7,8], and the healthcare-supervise exercise often presents some challenges, such as environment, economic situation, therapeutic approaches and tiredness [[9], [10], [11]]. Although hemodialysis patients can exercise in dialysis centers, most dialysis centers do not include intra-dialysis exercise in routine treatment management. Meanwhile, peritoneal dialysis is primarily a home treatment, and peritoneal dialysis patients cannot receive the same supervised exercise management on dialysis as hemodialysis patients [12]. Some studies mentioned that patients with ESRD have preferred their home as their exercise location [13], and home-based exercise needs to be gradually incorporated into the training programs of dialysis centers to improve patient compliance and the feasibility of such interventions [14]. An increasing number of studies suggest that exercising at home seems to be a desirable form of intervention. And home-based exercise may improve physical performance and quality of life in patients on dialysis [15]. Thus, for dialysis patients, home-based interventions may be more desirable and practical, improving frailty and other physical abilities [[16], [17], [18]].

Although some studies have confirmed that exercise can improve symptoms of depression, and overall quality of life in dialysis patients, the impact of home-based exercise on the physical function, biochemical parameters, and other aspects of dialysis patients is still unclear [[19], [20], [21], [22], [23]]. This study aims to synthesize all the eligible randomized control trials (RCT) and systematically analyze the effects of home-based exercise on functional capacity, physical capacity, muscular strength, biochemical parameters, and health-related quality of life among dialysis patients with ESRD.