Differences in patient outcomes between a 6, 7 and 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation programme: A service evaluation

ObjectiveTo investigate changes and differences in patient outcomes over time for 6, 7 and 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation programmes in order to identify optimal duration.SettingCommunity based pulmonary rehabilitation programmes in the East of England.ParticipantsIn total 363 participants completed one of the three pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. Patients with a chronic respiratory condition showing a commitment to the pulmonary rehabilitation programme and no contraindications to exercise were included.InterventionPulmonary rehabilitation twice a week for 6, 7 or 8 weeks.Main outcome measuresSt Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT).ResultsAll programmes showed improvements in ISWT post rehabilitation, with the 8 week programme showing the greatest improvement.ConclusionFindings show that greatest improvements in terms of exercise capacity may be seen from 8 week pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, but that improvement for the ISWT can be obtained from 6, 7 or 8 week programmes.