Marquis N1, Tanguay P1, Martineau-Roy J1, Gravel É-M1, Gervais I1, St-Jean P1
1Université de Sherbrooke, Rehabilitation, Sherbrooke, Canada
Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by shortness of breath and exacerbations that can affect activities of daily living and quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has been proven to improve quality of life of people with COPD by increasing their endurance and decreasing their symptoms. However, several studies have shown that the benefits obtained during PR tend to decrease 6 months to 1 year following the PR. These findings might be explained by the fact that most patients stopped performing their exercises when PR stopped. New programs fostering self-management are essential to maximize the long-term benefits of PR to improve quality of live of individuals with COPD.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a web platform designed as a self-management tool fostering adherence to PR exercises for individuals with COPD.
Methods: Six community-living elders with moderate to very severe COPD participated in a pre/post maintenance study. To be included, patients had to complete the conventional PR program offered in the community and to have access to a computer linked to the Internet. The platform consisted of 3 respiratory exercises adjusted to the breathing of the patients and a logbook where they were asked to register all other physical activities, as time of walking or stationary biking done during the day. After the PR, use of the platform was thought to the patients and they had to use it alone at home without any outside motivation for 8 months. Assessments were carried out after PR (T1) and after 8 months (T2). At each assessment, participants were evaluated with the 1) COPD assessment test (CAT); 2) pain scale; 3) dyspnea scale (BORG); 4) 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT). Wilcoxon signed-rank was used to test changes from the end of PR to the end of the maintenance period. The adherence rate to the platform was recorded and calculated in percentage of how many times the patients did there exercises in a week.
Results: There were no significant difference between pre and post maintenance on any of the test (p>0,05), reflecting that benefits of the PR were maintained. The participants mean adhesion rate was of 71%.
Conclusion(s): Because there was no-significant changes in the different areas of the evaluations, we concluded that the participants maintained their achievement obtained during the PR even after 8 months. Thus, our platform is an interesting self-help tool fostering adherence to PR exercises. Results need to be interpreted with caution, since we had no control group. Finally, the high rate of adhesion to the platform was beyond our expectations, because it is higher than the percentage usually seen in any pulmonary program (60%) showing the high motivation of the patients to use it.
Implications: This platform could be a motivation tool useful to all people with COPD who want to maintain their achievement after PR. The access to the platform can provided to physical therapists all around the world to help motivate their COPD patients to pursue their exercises by their own.
Keywords: COPD, Maintenance, Telerehabilitation
Funding acknowledgements: We thanks RESPIPLUS, the Canadian Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and University of Sherbrooke for their funding in developing the platform web
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a web platform designed as a self-management tool fostering adherence to PR exercises for individuals with COPD.
Methods: Six community-living elders with moderate to very severe COPD participated in a pre/post maintenance study. To be included, patients had to complete the conventional PR program offered in the community and to have access to a computer linked to the Internet. The platform consisted of 3 respiratory exercises adjusted to the breathing of the patients and a logbook where they were asked to register all other physical activities, as time of walking or stationary biking done during the day. After the PR, use of the platform was thought to the patients and they had to use it alone at home without any outside motivation for 8 months. Assessments were carried out after PR (T1) and after 8 months (T2). At each assessment, participants were evaluated with the 1) COPD assessment test (CAT); 2) pain scale; 3) dyspnea scale (BORG); 4) 6-minute Walk Test (6MWT). Wilcoxon signed-rank was used to test changes from the end of PR to the end of the maintenance period. The adherence rate to the platform was recorded and calculated in percentage of how many times the patients did there exercises in a week.
Results: There were no significant difference between pre and post maintenance on any of the test (p>0,05), reflecting that benefits of the PR were maintained. The participants mean adhesion rate was of 71%.
Conclusion(s): Because there was no-significant changes in the different areas of the evaluations, we concluded that the participants maintained their achievement obtained during the PR even after 8 months. Thus, our platform is an interesting self-help tool fostering adherence to PR exercises. Results need to be interpreted with caution, since we had no control group. Finally, the high rate of adhesion to the platform was beyond our expectations, because it is higher than the percentage usually seen in any pulmonary program (60%) showing the high motivation of the patients to use it.
Implications: This platform could be a motivation tool useful to all people with COPD who want to maintain their achievement after PR. The access to the platform can provided to physical therapists all around the world to help motivate their COPD patients to pursue their exercises by their own.
Keywords: COPD, Maintenance, Telerehabilitation
Funding acknowledgements: We thanks RESPIPLUS, the Canadian Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program and University of Sherbrooke for their funding in developing the platform web
Topic: Cardiorespiratory
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Centre Hospitalier universitaire Sherbrooke
Ethics committee: CÉR du CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS
Ethics number: 2018-2489
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
