Short-term and long-term effects of a physical rehabilitation program in the home environment associated to the educative and supervised program in COPD patients.

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with pulmonary and systemic damage, reducing physical and functional capacity, as poor quality of life. Therefore, insert rehabilitation program is important to reducing damage and improve physical and functional capacity. Meanwhile, access to physical rehabilitation programs is limited, so alternatives, such as a supervised or an educational program, should be tested. Thus, this research main goal is to verify the responsivity of level physical capacity and quality of life in short and long term of rehabilitation program executed on supervised or an educational program with physical therapist.The research will be a prospective, interventional, randomized study. The data will be collected in several areas of São Carlos public health network. According the inclusion and exclusion criteria, all patients will be initially assessed by anamnesis, physical examination, spirometry, functional tests (Six minute walk test (SMWT), Six minute step test (SMST) and sit and stand up test for one minute (SST1), laboratory blood tests, dyspnea scale and quality of life questionnaire (QQV) and monitor the level of physical activity (seven days). So, patients will be randomly divided into two groups: the orientation group (OG), which will participate in a single orientation meeting (educational); and another supervised physical exercise group (SG), which will have weekly meetings with the physiotherapist. Both groups will be revaluated after nine weeks and all patients will be followed up by revaluation for another year. Finally, it is hypothesized that functional tests, physical activity level and short- and long-term QOL of patients with COPD undergoing a weekly supervised physical rehabilitation program associated with an educational program will be responsive. (AU)