Impact of weekly once contact class for pulmonary rehabilitation program for improving the quality of life in chronic respiratory disease patients

Abstract

Background: Pulmonary Rehabilitation is one of the method we could use to improve their Quality of life and for a
better livelihood. But since the possibility of attending the training daily or weekly thrice was not possible by our
patients since most of them are from villages at distant places from our hospital, we planned for weekly once session
for Rehabilitation therapy and study the impact
Method: Forty two patients of various chronic respiratory diseases under medical treatment were taken for the study.
Patients Pulmonary function test and six minute walk test were assessed at the beginning of the study and reassessed
at every week on the scheduled day during subsequent visits for eight weeks that is the period of the study. Patients
were educated in the first week of the study about breathing exercises, upper limb and lower limb strengthening
exercises that can be done at home, dietary advice, and psychiatric councelling along with a questionnaire to detect any
depression if present which is expected in chronic illnesses . The note was given to the patient, with the order of the
exercises written in their native language and the patients made entry at home after they performed the exercises.
Results: Changes in the degree of dyspnoea according to Bogh scale came to 1-4 compared to 8-10 at the start of the
therapy in almost all patients. Though changes in the FEV1 (Forced Exspiratory volume at 1st second) was not
statistically significant, but few patients had increase in FEV1.
Conclusion: Weekly once contact sessions with good motivation , education and councelling with dietatory
management could make a difference in the quality of life of chronic respiratory disease patients where daily or weekly
thrice visits to the hospital/the center for the therapy could not be possible.