Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Chronic Respiratory Diseases, Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Respiration Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Pulmonary rehabilitation, Telerehabilitation, Digital Health Technologies, Private Practice Physiotherapy, Chronic respiratory diseases
Brief summary
Pulmonary rehabilitation improves exercise capacity, functional status, symptoms and quality of life in individuals with chronic respiratory diseases. However, access to pulmonary rehabilitation remains limited due to insufficient availability of specialized centers and geographical, organizational, logistical, and financial barriers. Delivering pulmonary rehabilitation in private physiotherapy practices may improve access to care, but implementation can be challenged by limited resources, equipment, and support tools. A field-based implementation program was conducted from summer 2025 to support physiotherapists in delivering pulmonary rehabilitation in private practice through the provision of a digital support solution (TELEREHAPP) and, where appropriate, associated equipment. During this program, physiotherapists collected data on solution use, patient characteristics, and available clinical follow-up indicators. Satisfaction and perceived usability were assessed among both physiotherapists and patients. This retrospective study aims to analyze the data already collected during the implementation program to evaluate the feasibility of implementation, use, and acceptability of the TELEREHAPP digital solution in private physiotherapy practice, and to describe changes in available clinical outcomes among participating patients.
Interventions
DEVICETELEREHAPP-supported pulmonary rehabilitation
Pulmonary rehabilitation supported by TELEREHAPP consisted of a program delivered in private physiotherapy practice using a digital health application designed to support the implementation, monitoring, and follow-up of rehabilitation and physical activity programs. Depending on the physiotherapist's usual practice and the patient's needs, the program could include endurance exercise training, muscle strengthening, physical activity coaching, self-administered questionnaires, and individualized monitoring by the physiotherapist. The digital solution was used as a support tool for care delivery and follow-up; the content, duration, frequency, and modalities of the program were determined by the treating physiotherapist.
Sponsors
ADIR Association
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
RETROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Age superior to 18 years; * Referred for pulmonary rehabilitation in private physiotherapy practice. Non-inclusion Criteria: \- Not applicable
Exclusion criteria
\- Not applicable
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapist Adoption of the Digital Solution | 6 to 10 months | Proportion of equipped physiotherapists who used the solution to support at least one patient during the experimentation period. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapist Acceptance Rate | Baseline | Proportion of contacted physiotherapists who agreed to be equipped with the digital solution. |
| Number of Patients Managed | 6 to 10 months | Total number of patients managed, number per physiotherapist, and number per physiotherapist per month. |
| Modules Used | 6 to 10 months | Types of modules used within the digital solution (endurance training, muscle strengthening, physical activity coaching, self-administered questionnaires). |
| Number of Sessions Completed | 6 to 10 months | Number of sessions completed for each module. |
| Program Duration | 6 to 10 months | Duration of the proposed programs. |
| Program Frequency | 6 to 10 months | Frequency of the proposed programs. |
| Physiotherapist Satisfaction | 6 to 10 months | Satisfaction of physiotherapists with the care pathway involving the digital solution, assessed using an adapted Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 items. Scores therefore range from 8 to 32, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction. |
| Patient Satisfaction | 6 to 10 months | Satisfaction of patients with the care pathway involving the digital solution, assessed using the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8 items. Scores therefore range from 8 to 32, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction. |
| Perceived Usability - Physiotherapists | 6 to 10 months | Perceived usability of the digital solution by physiotherapists, assessed using the System Usability Scale. Scores therefore range from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction. |
| Perceived Usability - Patients | 6 to 10 months | Perceived usability of the digital solution by patients, assessed using the System Usability Scale. Scores therefore range from 0 to 100, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction. |
| Exercise Capacity - 6-Minute Walk Distance | 8 to 10 weeks | Exercise capacity will be assessed using the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) before and after the rehabilitation program. The test measures the distance walked in 6 minutes, expressed in meters, with higher values indicating greater exercise capacity. |
| Exercise Capacity - 6-Minute Stepper Test (6MST) | 8 to 10 weeks | Exercise capacity will be assessed using the 6-Minute Stepper Test (6MST) before and after the rehabilitation program. The outcome is the number of steps completed during the test over 6 minutes. Higher values indicate better exercise capacity. |
| Exercise Capacity - 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand Test (1STS) | 8 to 10 weeks | Exercise capacity will be assessed using the 1-Minute Sit-to-Stand Test (1STS) before and after the rehabilitation program. The test measures the number of sit-to-stand repetitions completed in 1 minute, with higher values indicating greater exercise capacity. |
| Health Status | 8 to 10 weeks | Health status will be assessed using the Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Assessment Test (CAT) before and after the rehabilitation program and after 1 year of the enrollement date. The score ranges from 0 to 40, with higher values indicating greater impairment of health status. The established minimal clinically important difference for this questionnaire is -2.5 points. |
| Respiratory Quality of Life | 8 to 10 weeks | Assessed using the Visual Simplified Respiratory Questionnaire (VSRQ). The score ranges from 0 to 80, with higher values indicating greater quality of life. The established minimal clinically important difference for this questionnaire is 3.4 points. |
| Psychological Status - Anxiety | 8 to 10 weeks | Symptoms of anxiety will be assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression questionnaire, anxiety subscore, before and after the rehabilitation program and after 1 year of the enrollement date. The score ranges from 0 (best) to 21 (worst). The pre-specified minimal clinically important difference is set at -1.5 point. |
| Psychological Status - Depression | 8 to 10 weeks | Symptoms of anxiety will be assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression questionnaire, anxiety subscore, before and after the rehabilitation program and after 1 year of the enrollement date. The score ranges from 0 (best) to 21 (worst). The pre-specified minimal clinically important difference is set at -1.5 point. |
Countries
France
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORTristan Bonnevie
ADIR Association
Outcome results
None listed