Moving Pulmonary Rehabilitation Into the Home: A CLINICAL REVIEW

Abstract

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is the standard of care for persons with chronic, symptomatic lung disease. The availability of PR is limited, particularly in rural areas. In addition, barriers to PR include the lack of transportation, patient inconvenience, inadequate insurance coverage, and cost. Technology has the potential to overcome several barriers to PR by enhancing the availability and uptake of PR principles through the development of technology-supported, home-based PR programs. For technology-supported, home-based PR, or telehealth PR, to be effective, key components of traditional PR must be present including appropriate individualized exercise prescription, self-management education, outcome measurements, and patient support. This clinical review summarizes the current practice of PR, describes limitations to the availability of PR, describes key principles that technology should feature to ensure best practices are met, and proposes current and future technology options as an emerging strategy for home delivery of PR and its components.