Abstract
Background
The benefit of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for patients with COPD diminishes over time. We investigated a new strategy involving home-visit and phone contact and compared this to usual care in maintenance of PR benefits.
Methods
A total of 172 stable COPD patients receiving 8-week PR program were recruited for this prospective study. Patients were allocated into usual care group (UC) and PR maintenance group (PRMG) randomly. Patients in PRMG participated in maintenance strategy at home under supervision through home-visit and phone contact. The 6-minute walking test (6MWT), COPD assessment test (CAT), and modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC) scores were evaluated every 3 months.
Results
Of the total, 151 patients completed 8-week PR program with satisfactory PR results (p<0.001), and 104 patients finished the follow-up. The clinical improvements in 6MWT, CAT, and mMRC scores were maintained (p<0.001) in PRMG. In comparison, the benefit of PR diminished gradually in UC. The differences in 6MWT, CAT, and mMRC scores between groups were observed 6, 9, and 6 months after PR, respectively (p<0.05). Total frequency of exacerbations in PRMG was lower than UC (p=0.021).
Conclusion
Maintenance strategy involving home-visit and phone contact is superior to usual care to preserve PR benefits, and reduces the acute COPD exacerbation rate.
Acknowledgments
This study was supported by the grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81270144, 81570084, 30800507), and the Science and Technology Plan Project of Tianjin (13ZCZDSY02000).
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.