Refining the pulmonary rehabilitation model of care for adults with asthma: a Delphi-based multicenter study

Abstract

Introduction: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a widely utilized, effective treatment involving exercise and education for people with chronic lung diseases. Adults with asthma are eligible for PR; however, they are often under-referred or struggle to participate. Many factors contribute to this incongruency, yet few attempts have been made to adapt PR to better suit such individuals, resulting in a surprising omission from international asthma guidelines. Objectives: This study aims to develop a new consumer- and expert-informed PR model in asthma. This work will contribute significantly towards clearer expectations and enhanced utilization of PR for adults with asthma. Methods: This study will be carried out in four phases: (1) Identify priority issues reported by the patient: discussions will be held with patient representatives nationally and internationally; (2) Discussions with experts on possible PR adaptations: this phase will involve 2 workshops (3 hours) held remotely via Zoom to discuss the main issues identified in phase 1; (3) Build expert consensus: this phase will involve an international Delphi survey; (4): Develop a research protocol: Phase 1 and 2 consensus results will be used to develop a "best practice" research protocol for a future clinical trial involving structured PR for asthma. This is a study supported by FAPESP (Program SPRINT 2022/03774-6) to be carried out in collaboration with Monash University.