From Inception to Implementation: Strategies for Setting Up Pulmonary Telerehabilitation.
Catarina Duarte Santos, Fátima Rodrigues, Cátia Caneiras and 1 others
PMID 36188951WHAT IT FOUND
A home-based video telerehabilitation kit cost 570€ per patient and was highly acceptable.
COPD patients reported improved symptom burden and self-efficacy, but physical function outcomes were incomplete due to pandemic restrictions.
Key findings
01Telerehabilitation significantly improved COPD Assessment Test scores from 15.5 to 10.5 and PRAISE self-efficacy scores from 49.5 to 53.0.
02Patients reported high satisfaction with goal achievement (88.1%) and the telerehabilitation model (95.4%).
03Each home kit required an initial investment of 570€ plus 40€ in communication costs.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study was a proof-of-concept with no control group because the randomized design was abandoned due to the pandemic. Objective outcomes were missing for six of the fourteen participants, limiting conclusions about physical function. The sample size was small (N = 14) and single-center. Patients had to be stable without exacerbations in the previous six weeks, so results may not apply to more fragile patients.
Declared interests
One author is employed by Nippon Gases Portugal, which funded the work alongside the Portuguese Science Foundation. The remaining authors declared no conflicts.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telerehabilitation improves physical function like walking distance. The objective tests were incomplete for most patients due to pandemic restrictions, and only subjective symptom and self-efficacy scores showed significant change.