Abstract
Aim
To investigate the effects of a nurse-led multidisciplinary programme (NMP) of pulmonary rehabilitation in primary health care with regard to functional capacity, quality of life (QoL), and exacerbations among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Method
A 1-year longitudinal study with a quasi-experimental design was undertaken in patients with COPD, 49 in the intervention group and 54 in the control group. Functional capacity was assessed using the 6-minute walking test, and quality of life (QoL) was assessed using the Clinical COPD Questionnaire. Exacerbations were calculated by examination of patient records.
Results
No significant differences were found between the groups in functional capacity and QoL after 1 year. The exacerbations decreased in the intervention group (n = −0.2) and increased in the control group (n = 0.3) during the year after NMP. The mean difference of change in exacerbation frequency between the groups was statistically significant after one year (p=0.009).
Conclusions
The NMP in primary care produced a significant reduction in exacerbation frequency, but functional capacity and QoL were unchanged. More and larger studies are needed to evaluate potential benefits in functional capacity and QoL.
Keywords: COPD, management, exacerbations, nurse, primary care, rehabilitation, pulmonary, quantitative
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Footnotes
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest in relation to this article.