@article {ZanaboniOA3279, author = {Paolo Zanaboni and Linda Aar{\o}en Lien and Hanne Hoaas and Audhild Hjalmarsen and Richard Wootton}, title = {Long-term exercise maintenance in COPD via telerehabilitation: Effects from a 2-year pilot study}, volume = {46}, number = {suppl 59}, elocation-id = {OA3279}, year = {2015}, doi = {10.1183/13993003.congress-2015.OA3279}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Introduction: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an integral part of the management of COPD. Despite this, many people with COPD do not access or complete PR, and exercise maintenance has been difficult to achieve after PR.Aims and objectives: To investigate feasibility, long-term exercise maintenance, clinical effects, quality of life and use of hospital resources of a telerehabilitation intervention for COPD.Methods: Ten patients with moderate to severe COPD were offered a 2-year follow-up via telerehabilitation after attending PR. The intervention consisted in exercise training at home, telemonitoring and self-management via a webpage combined with weekly videoconference sessions with a physiotherapist. Equipment included a treadmill, a pulse oximeter and a tablet. Data collected at baseline, 1-year and 2-year were 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), CAT, EQ-5D, hospitalizations and outpatient visits.Results: No dropout occurred. After 1 year, 6MWD improved by a mean of 38 meters. CAT decreased by a mean of 4 points. After 2 years, results were in line with baseline values. EQ VAS after 1 year was 64.2, thus improving 15.7 points from baseline, while after 2 years it was 52.3. No statistically significant changes were measured for the EQ-5D states. 11 hospitalizations and 65 outpatients visits occurred during the 2-year follow-up, 9 and 85 respectively occurred during the previous 2 years.Conclusions: Long-term exercise maintenance in COPD via telerehabilitation is feasible. Deterioration in the disease is expected over time. Results are encouraging and suggest that telerehabilitation can prevent deterioration, improve physical performance and quality of life, and limit hospital accesses.}, issn = {0903-1936}, URL = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/OA3279}, eprint = {https://erj.ersjournals.com/content}, journal = {European Respiratory Journal} }