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Published on: November 8, 2013
Community-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs in Individuals With COPD
Marisela Barbosa, Renato Andrade, Cristina Argel de Melo
1Ms Barbosa is affiliated with Gaia/Espinho Hospital Center, North Rehabilitation Center, Gaia, Portugal; and Câmara Municipal de Arouca, Complexo Municipal Desportivo de Arouca e Piscinas Municipais de Escariz. Mr Andrade is affiliated with Clínica Espregueira-FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Porto, Portugal; Dom Henrique Research Centre, Porto, Portugal; and Porto Biomechanics Laboratory (LABIOMEP), Faculty of Sports, University of Porto, Porto Portugal. Dr de Melo is affiliated with School of Allied Health Technologies, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal; and CIR, Center for Rehabilitation Research, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal. Dr Torres is affiliated with CESPU, North Polytechnic Institute of Health, Paredes, Portugal; and CIR, Center for Rehabilitation Research, Polytechnic Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Background:
Community-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs can be offered to patients with COPD, but the literature on its effects is still not well summarized. Our purpose was to investigate the health-, physical-, and respiratory-related effects of community-based PR in individuals with COPD as compared to control groups.
Methods:
The PubMed and Embase databases were searched up to May 17, 2021. We included randomized control trials that compared the effects of community-based PR as compared to control groups in individuals with COPD. The risk of bias was judged using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 (RoB2). Meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to estimate the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CI of the mean changes from baseline between groups. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation was used to interpret certainty of results.
Results:
We included 10 randomized control studies comprising a total of 9,350 participants with weighted mean age of 62.3 ± 2.38 y. The community-based interventions were based on exercise programs (resistance and/or endurance). All studies were judged as high risk and/or some concerns in one or more domains the risk of bias. All meta-analyses displayed very low certainty of evidence. The community-based PR interventions were significantly superior to control interventions in improving the St. George Respiratory Questionnaire Activity subscore (-0.40 [95% CI -0.72 to -0.08]; k = 5, n = 382) and total score (-0.73 [95% CI -1.29 to -0.18]; k = 4, n = 268) and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire dyspnea subscore (0.36 [95% CI 0.03-0.69]; k = 6, n = 550). The mean changes from baseline were not different between the groups for all other outcomes.
Conclusions:
Community-based PR tended to result in superior health-related quality of life and symptoms than control interventions, but the findings were inconsistent across outcomes and with very low certainty of evidence. Further studies are warranted for stronger conclusions.
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