PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Bhatt, Surya P
TI  - Counterpoint: In-Home Pulmonary Rehabilitation Is an Attractive Alternative
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.11957
DP  - 2024 Jun 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 763--771
VI  - 69
IP  - 6
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/69/6/763.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/69/6/763.full
AB  - Center-based pulmonary rehabilitation is positioned as the accepted standard for pulmonary rehabilitation. There, however, are several barriers to its utilization, and usage rates remain as low as 4%, despite decades of trying to improve access. The question then arises as to who is really benefiting from center-based pulmonary rehabilitation as this therapy is barely available to eligible patients. Alternative modes of delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation have been tested. Meta-analyses indicate that these alternate modes are associated with clinical improvements comparable with center-based pulmonary rehabilitation in several outcomes that are important for patients, including the 6-min walk distance, dyspnea, and quality of life. These modes are also associated with better adherence to the intervention than center-based pulmonary rehabilitation. Telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation and home-based pulmonary rehabilitation, therefore, are attractive alternatives to center-based pulmonary rehabilitation and will exponentially increase pulmonary rehabilitation capacity.