Abstract
Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a well-established treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The standard protocol for PR requires frequent hospital visits, which can be difficult for patients. We performed this study to assess whether unsupervised home-based PR (HBPR) is effective for patients with COPD.Methods: This investigation was a prospective cohort study. After assessing the outcome data, including the results of a COPD assessment test (CAT); the body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index; a pulmonary function test; the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale; and the 6-min walking test (6MWT), specialists imparted education to patients about unsupervised HBPR. Patients who exercised more than three times per week were classified as the compliant group, and the others were categorized as the noncompliant group. Changes in the outcomes were compared between the compliant and noncompliant groups.Results: 41 patients were enrolled in this study. After 8 weeks of unsupervised HBPR, there were significant improvements in CAT scores, BODE index, and forced expiratory volume in 1 s among patients in the compliant group compared with those in the noncompliant group. Moreover, their CAT and mMRC scores improved significantly after 8 weeks compared with those at baseline. On the other hand, patients in the noncompliant group showed no significant improvement in any of the outcomes.Conclusions: Unsupervised HBPR can be effective for compliant patients with COPD. We recommend unsupervised HBPR for patients with COPD even when regular hospital visits for PR are not possible.Trial registration: NCT03754881
Real-life feasibility and effectiveness of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requiring medical equipment
