Using pedometers to monitor walking activity in outcome assessment for pulmonary rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a commercially available pedometer could detect changes in home-based walking activity among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients completing pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). METHODS: Patients with COPD referred to outpatient PR wore a pedometer to count steps for 1 week at the beginning and 1 week at the end of PR. Patients also completed the 6-min walk test (6MWT), the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale and the self-administered chronic respiratory disease questionnaire (CRQ) at the beginning and the end of PR. Paired t tests were used to compare pre- and post-PR changes in outcome variables. RESULTS: 45 patients with severe COPD (forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV(1)] 45% +/- 18% of predicted) participated in a total of 17.4 +/- 4.6 PR sessions. Significant improvements in 6MWT (49 +/- 59 m; p < .0001), MRC dyspnea score (-0.64 +/- 0.96 units; p = .003) and CRQ score (10 +/- 18 units; p = .0007) were noted following PR. Patients whose pedometer-measured steps were within 20% of observed counted steps were included in the analysis. Pedometer counts increased by 33 +/- 149 steps per hour worn after, as compared with before PR (p = .14). There was a significant inverse relationship between baseline pedometer counts and change in pedometer counts per hour post-PR (r = -.46; p = .001). Patients with low baseline activity levels had significant increases in pedometer activity (88 +/- 30 counts per hour worn) and a greater reduction in MRC dyspnea score (-0.94 vs -0.29; p = .04) following PR, whereas those with higher baseline activity levels had a decrease in pedometer activity (-19 +/- 29 counts/hour; p = .015). CONCLUSIONS: A standard pedometer worn at the waist did not detect changes in lower extremity activity following PR. This negative finding occurred despite demonstrated improvements in dyspnea, exercise tolerance and quality of life measures. Although pedometers are inexpensive and easy to use, they may not be sensitive enough to be used routinely as an outcome measure for PR.

Functional status and survival following pulmonary rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Functional exercise capacity has been shown to be a strong predictor of survival following pulmonary rehabilitation. This study evaluated whether questionnaire-rated functional status is also predictive of survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Following pulmonary rehabilitation, patients with advanced chronic lung disease were evaluated for survival, 6-min walk distance, and questionnaire-rated functional status. The latter was measured using the pulmonary functional status scale, which has subscores of functional activities, psychological status, and dyspnea. Information on survival was available on 149 patients. RESULTS: The mean age was 69 years, and 45% of patients were male. Eighty-nine percent had a diagnosis of COPD, and their FEV(1) was 37+/-18% of predicted. Ninety-one (61%) were married. The 3-year survival for the group was 85%. Age, gender, body mass index, and primary diagnosis were not related to survival. Variables strongly associated with increased survival following pulmonary rehabilitation included a higher postrehabilitation Functional Activities score, a longer postrehabilitation 6-min walk distance, and being married (vs widowed, single, or divorced). Disease severity variables associated with survival included an initial referral to outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation, no supplemental oxygen requirement, and a higher percent-predicted FEV(1). CONCLUSION: Indicators of functional status are strong predictors of survival in patients with advanced lung disease.

Functional status in pulmonary rehabilitation participants.

PURPOSE: This study examined functional status abnormalities in pulmonary rehabilitation patients, its responsiveness to pulmonary rehabilitation intervention, and its relationship to patient characteristics and traditional measures of disease severity. METHODS: One hundred sixty-four men and women age 69 years (SD +/- 8), who participated in 1 of 10 pulmonary rehabilitation programs in Connecticut, were studied pre- and postrehabilitation with the following outcome measures: (1) the 6-minute walk distance, (2) the Pulmonary Functional Status Scale (PFSS), and (3) in a subset of 60 subjects, health-related quality of life was measured using the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ). Patient characteristics were compared to baseline values of these measures using Spearman correlations and Wilcoxon Rank Sum tests, whereas pre- to post-changes in outcome measures were evaluated using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Effect size, representing a standardized measure of change, was calculated for the PFSS. RESULTS: The mean FEV1 was 0.95 +/- 0.50 liters (38 +/- 18% predicted). Rehabilitation resulted in significant increases in the 6-minute walk distance (24%, P < 0.001, the total PFSS scores [13%, P < 0.001, effect size 1.0]) and the total CRDQ (18% P < 0.001). The prerehabilitation function subscore and total PFSS score correlated strongly with the 6-minute walk distance (r = 0.76, 0.73; P < 0.001) and to a lesser degree with the FEV1 (r = 0.31, 0.33; P < 0.001). Males scored higher baseline scores in several PFSS subscales, the total PFSS score, and the 6-minute walk distance; females showed more improvement in some of the PFSS scores. CONCLUSION: The 6-minute walk distance, the PFSS, and CRDQ all improved significantly with rehabilitation. Functional status, as measured by the PFSS is very strongly correlated with the 6-minute walk. Gender differences in the timed walk distance and functional status highlight the need to study this variable more thoroughly.

Outpatient management of common problems in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Dyspnea, ineffective secretion clearance, and the potential for exacerbation are three common problems of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Assessment and management of these problems are important in the overall care of this population. Teaching patients breathing exercises and secretion clearance techniques and referring them to comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation programs improves functional capacity and quality of life.

Respi-Care. An innovative home care program for the patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a hospital-based home care program for a group of patients with severe COPD. Respi-Care was a multidisciplinary home care program administered by Norwalk Hospital in cooperation with the public health nursing departments of the city of Norwalk and the town of Wilton, Conn. The overall goal of Respi-Care was to provide more comprehensive home care services to patients previously requiring frequent hospitalizations by combining the advantages of hospital resources and community agencies through a unique cooperative effort. Preprogram and on-program data were collected on the following variables for the 48 months of Respi-Care operation: hospitalizations; hospital days; emergency room visits; home care services; and the costs of these services. Costs of operating the Respi-Care program were included in on-program data. Seventeen subjects completed 320.5 months on Respi-Care. Each subject was matched to an equal length of time prior to entering the program, for a total of 641 months analyzed. There were 88 preprogram hospitalizations for the group; hospitalizations while participating in Respi-Care dropped to 53 (p = 0.022; paired t statistics). On-program hospital days showed a significant decrease, from 1,181 preprogram days to 667 on-program days (p = 0.024). Emergency room visits decreased from 105 before the program to 64 during the program (p = 0.017). Costs of care also decreased. Costs for hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and home care fell from $908,031 to $802,999, resulting in a $105,032 savings or $328 per patient per month.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)