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Eli's Rehab Report

CLINICAL REHAB ROUNDUP:

Treating COPD? Home Rehab a Viable Alternative to Outpatient Rehab

Published on Mon Mar 16, 2009

Effects of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized trial. Maltais F, Borbeau J, Shapiro S, Lucasse Y, Perrault H, Baltzan M, Hernandez P,Rouleau M, Julien M, Parenteau S, Paradis B, Levy RD, Camp P, Lecours R, Audet R, Hutton B, Penrod JR, Picard D, Bernard S; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Axis of Respiratory Health Network, Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec. Ann Intern Med. 2008 Dec 16;149(12):156.

Researchers investigated the viability of home-based rehabilitation compared to hospital outpatient rehab in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In a randomized, multicenter, noninferiority trial,252 patients with moderate to severe COPD underwent in home-based rehabilitation or outpatient, hospital-based rehabilitation for eight weeks after a four-week education program. Researchers followed the patients for 40 weeks to complete the one-year study. The primary outcome measure was the change in Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire dyspnea subscale score at one year.

Findings: Both interventions produced similar improvements in the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire dyspnea subscale at one year. The difference between the two treatments at one year was small and clinically unimportant, researchers reported. Thus, they concluded that home rehabilitation is a useful, equivalent alternative to outpatient rehabilitation in patients with COPD.

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