Pulmonary rehabilitation and follow-on services: a Northern Ireland survey

Abstract

There should be a clear pathway through pulmonary rehabilitation and follow-on services. The aim of this survey was to determine the characteristics of the different components of the patient pathway, that is, pulmonary rehabilitation programs, ongoing exercise facilities, and support networks in Northern Ireland. Questionnaires were sent to current providers of pulmonary rehabilitation, providers of ongoing exercise, and support groups in Northern Ireland. Findings relating to the current status of pulmonary rehabilitation in Northern Ireland up to January 2007 are reported. There are currently 23 pulmonary rehabilitation programs in Northern Ireland. There appears to be a pathway through the short-term pulmonary rehabilitation program (6–8 weeks). Programs met standards for structure and format, except for the frequency of supervised exercise. Not all programs have links for the provision of ongoing exercise, but a range of exercise programs are available in leisure centers in Northern Ireland that include people with respiratory disease. There are 13 support groups for patients with respiratory disease in Northern Ireland and their function is diverse. Pulmonary rehabilitation is established in Northern Ireland, although not all patients are able to access these. Facilities for ongoing exercise and support groups are less developed. Improvements could be facilitated by better communication within the patient pathway and a strategic coordinated approach.

An International Comparison of Pulmonary Rehabilitation: A Systematic Review

“…Th e majority of PR programs were off ered in outpatient settings affi liated with a hospital (57-99%) in all countries aside from Ireland, where the majority of programs (65%) were off ered in a community setting versus 35% in secondary care (21). Community settings were also utilized to deliver PR in Canada (6), Australia (22), New Zealand (23), but were not reported as PR sites in other countries.…”

Validity and Reliability of the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire in Elderly Individuals with Mild to Moderate Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis

“…For this reason, identification of the common respiratory symptoms experienced in each individual patient may influence the choice of instrument used to evaluate HRQOL. The QOL-B is readily available, but as a newly devised tool, its use in clinical practice is evolving; in comparison, the CRDQ is currently an established measure of HRQOL within existing pulmonary rehabilitation programs [22,26,27,28]. Although it does not encompass the breadth of symptoms and clinical features like the QOL-B, there is merit in establishing the measurement properties of this tool.…”

“…Although it does not encompass the breadth of symptoms and clinical features like the QOL-B, there is merit in establishing the measurement properties of this tool. Programs such as pulmonary rehabilitation often include a mix of patient populations [22,26,27,28]; comparing changes in HRQOL between patient groups following treatment using a tool which is valid and reliable in every population facilitates the clinical interpretation of this intervention.…”

“…Recent studies exploring the effects of physiotherapy interventions have also applied the CRDQ to assess HRQOL in this population [22,23]. In addition, the CRDQ is a recommended tool for assessing the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation on HRQOL [24,25]; surveys of clinical practice found it to be commonly applied in assessing the effects of this intervention in individuals with non-CF bronchiectasis [26,27,28]. Despite this use, the measurement properties of the CRDQ in patients with non-CF bronchiectasis and its responsiveness to change are unclear.…”

Measuring the knowledge of respiratory physiotherapy among students of Nursing and Midwifery at the Medical University of Lodz

“…Fakt ten znajduje odzwierciedlenie w wielu pozycjach światowego piśmiennictwa [9][10][11][17][18][19][20]. WNIOSKI 1.…”