Uptake of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on hospital admission for COPD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A retrospective observational comparative pilot study exploring the factors affecting uptake of Pulmonary Rehabilitation post hospitalisation for an acute exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
IRAS ID
136327
Contact name
Richard Neil Harrison
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University Hospital of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
This pilot study explores factors possibly affecting uptake of Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) on hospital admission for a flare up of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD).
COPD is a lung disease which causes symptoms of breathlessness and cough. Over 3 million people have COPD in England. It is a leading cause of hospital admissions in England and particularly in the North East.
Due to the breathlessness patients avoid activity and develop muscle weakness with disability. This worsens the quality of life of the patient and their carer.
PR is an exercise and education programme specifically adapted for breathless patients.
Research has proven that PR improves the quality of life, breathlessness, anxiety, depression and risk of hospital re-admission.
National guidelines recommend PR as an essential treatment, it is offered to every patient admitted to hospital with a COPD chest flare up.
The problem is poor uptake of this exercise class, most patients decline the referral when admitted to hospital with a chest flare up.
This pilot study aims:
To compare four characteristics (data) of patients who accepted the referral to the exercise class against the patients who declined when admitted to hospital with a chest flare up since April 2013.
The data is patients breathlessness scores(extended Medical Research Council Dyspnoea score),body weight, disease severity and number of previous COPD hospital admissions.
This study is a single centre study at the University Hospital of North Tees.
The data will be obtained from the hospital case notes,COPD and PR database. This is data which is routinely collected by the medical team.
All data will be made anonymous adhering to the NHS Code of Confidentiality. It will be stored in a secure location.
The data will be analysed for differences between the patients who accept the PR referral and those who decline the referral.
REC name
North East - Tyne & Wear South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/NE/0341
Date of REC Opinion
2 Dec 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion