EFFECTIVENESS OF PULMONARY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS IN COPD PATIENTS

Abstract

Background: Chronic respiratory diseases are associated with reduced functional capacity, increased dyspnea, and impaired quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation has emerged as a key non-pharmacological intervention to address these challenges.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week structured pulmonary rehabilitation program on dyspnea, exercise capacity, and quality of life among individuals with chronic respiratory conditions.

Methods: A pre-post interventional study was conducted on 60 participants undergoing supervised pulmonary rehabilitation. Baseline assessments were performed prior to the intervention, followed by post-intervention evaluations after 8 weeks. The rehabilitation program was conducted three times per week, with each session lasting 40–45 minutes, including warm-up, aerobic training, breathing exercises, strength training, cool-down, and patient education. Outcome measures included dyspnea (Modified Medical Research Council scale), exercise capacity (6-Minute Walk Test), and quality of life (COPD Assessment Test). Paired sample t-tests were used to assess differences between pre- and post-intervention outcomes.

Results: Significant improvements were observed in all outcome measures following the intervention. Dyspnea scores decreased substantially, indicating reduced breathlessness. Exercise capacity improved significantly, as reflected by increased 6MWT distance. Additionally, quality of life showed marked enhancement, with lower CAT scores post-intervention. All results were statistically significant (p < 0.001), with large effect sizes, demonstrating strong clinical relevance.

Conclusion: The structured pulmonary rehabilitation program effectively reduced dyspnea, enhanced functional capacity, and improved quality of life. These findings support its implementation as a standard component of chronic respiratory disease management.