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Group Pulmonary Rehabilitation Delivered to the Home via the Internet: Feasibility and Patient Perception

Is it feasible to deliver pulmonary rehabilitation to a group of patients in their own homes via the Internet? How do patients perceive this method of delivery and is it acceptable? Is the program effective in improving patients’ wellbeing? The study involved qualitative research with a patient group who undertake a regular exercise class supervised by a physiotherapist, to inform the design of the novel system; building and trialling the system in the laboratory, followed by two clinical studies with patients who had been referred for conventional pulmonary rehabilitation; assessment of patient satisfaction by Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and standard clinical measures pre- and post- program by Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and incremental shuttle-walking test. Ethical approval was obtained from the North of Scotland Research Ethics Service and R&D Management Approval from NHS Highland. The second clinical study is reported in: Taylor, A., Godden, D., Aitken, A., Colligan, J. and Wilson, R. Delivering Group-Based Services to the Home via the Internet: Maximising Clinical and Social Benefits. Pervasive Health 2011, Dublin, Ireland, pp. 384–388. CONTEXT OF CONTRIBUTION Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective in treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. However, patients who live remote from clinics or have travel difficulties may be unable to attend rehabilitation groups. This is the first study in the UK to deliver group-based pulmonary rehabilitation to patients in their homes. This method of delivery offers potential to improve accessibility for patients unable to attend conventional classes. The study has informed the ongoing work of the Scottish Centre for Telehealth and Telecare (part of NHS24) to implement a Scotland-wide remote pulmonary rehabilitation service, including a successful pilot by NHS Lothian, and it has informed the implementation of a new home-based pulmonary rehabilitation service in Northern Ireland.