Post-Hospitalisation Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PHPR) in COPD patients- A retrospective cohort study

Background: Guidance recommends patients are offered PHPR within 1 month of discharge after an acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). However a recent study found that early PR didn9t enhance recovery of physical function (Greening 2014) Objectives: To investigate uptake u0026 initial effectiveness of PHPR in a well-established clinical service Methods: Patients were offered PHPR within 1 month of discharge u0026 integrated into a standard PR programme. Demographic data included age, MRC score, and FEV1% predicted. Outcomes measured were COPD assessment tool (CAT) u0026 Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT) or 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Patients completed after attending u003e 8 session u0026 were reassessed post rehab. Analysis was performed using student9s paired t-test Results: Of 1024 patients coded as AECOPD between April 913 u0026 July 915, 269 were referred for PHPR u0026 46.0% of patients (124/269) were assessed in a median of 43 days post referral 26.0% of referrals (70/269) started PHPR u0026 14.1% (38/269) were reassessed Conclusions: The feasibility of attending PHPR within 1 month of discharge remains challenging. Despite this, completers showed significant improvements in quality of life u0026 exercise tolerance. Further research should focus on understanding patient specific barriers to PHPR.