Abstract
Aim: To compare the benefits of home tele-rehabilitation to those of hospital-based maintenance rehabilitation in COPD patients, following a 2-month course of supervised pulmonary rehabilitation.
Methods: 95 COPD patients were assigned to home tele-rehabilitation (n=47, FEV1%: 50±22predicted), or twice weekly hospital-based rehabilitation (n=48, FEV1%: 52±17predicted). Tele-rehabilitation included home exercise training, self-management techniques, dietary and psychological advice. Patients were provided with tablets and wireless devices to record and transmit data regarding symptoms, lung function and vital signs to a tele-health platform.
Results: The initial two months of supervised exercise training significantly improved 6 minute walking distance, daily physical activity (DPA), chronic dyspnea and quadriceps muscle strength in all patients. Six months later home tele-rehabilitation was equally effective to hospital-based rehabilitation in terms of maintaining the initial significant improvement in 6 minute walking distance (2-months: 417±134 versus 8-months: 415±132m), DPA (2-months: 3931±2774 versus 8-months: 3749±2441 steps), mMRC (2-months: 1.7±1.0 versus 8-months: 1.6±0.9) and quadriceps muscle strength (2-months: 32±10 versus 8-months: 33±12 Kg).
Conclusion: Home tele-rehabilitation is equally effective to hospital-based maintenance rehabilitation in preserving long-term the initial benefits acquired during pulmonary rehabilitation.
This work was funded by the Greek General Secretariat for Research and Technology (Telecare: 11SYN_10_1438).
- Copyright ©ERS 2015
