Group Versus Individual Rehabilitation in Lung Transplantation: A Retrospective Noninferiority Assessment.

This was a retrospective, single-center study, which introduces potential selection bias and limits generalizability. The two cohorts were treated during different time periods (pre- vs. during-pandemic), so unmeasured temporal changes in care or patient behavior could have influenced results. Individual rehabilitation sessions were shorter and lacked specific components present in the group format, such as the 30-minute group exercise class and dedicated balance/flexibility training, making it difficult to isolate the effect of the delivery format from the content. Active exercise time was not formally recorded, so exact differences in total physical activity volume between groups are estimated rather than measured. The study did not specifically assess psychosocial benefits of group interaction or core/balance-specific outcomes.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that individual rehabilitation is superior or that the shorter duration is sufficient for all patients. The study shows noninferiority, meaning individual therapy is not worse than group therapy for walk distance, but the individual format lacked specific exercise components like balance and group classes, which may have long-term functional implications not captured by the 6MWD.