Home-based rehab effective for COPD patients
Study shows care at home matches clinic care
A one-year study that followed 252 patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) shows that home-based rehabilitation can produce the same results that outpatient hospital-based rehabilitation.
Patients in both the home-based group and the hospital-based group began with the same four-week education program. Patients underwent rehabilitation for another eight-week period, and then researchers followed their progress for another 40 weeks to complete the study. Effectiveness of the two interventions was based on the change in Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire dyspnea subscale score at one year. At the end of the study, researchers found the difference in improvement of dyspnea to be small and clinically unimportant, according to the authors.
Reference
1. Maltais F, Bourbeau J, Shapiro S, et.al. "Effects of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized trial." Ann Intern Med. 2008; 149(12): 869-78.
A one-year study that followed 252 patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) shows that home-based rehabilitation can produce the same results that outpatient hospital-based rehabilitation.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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