Effect of a short term pulmonary rehabilitation programme on exercise capacity, pulmonary function and health related quality of life in patients with COPD

Objectives: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been shown to benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation programmes. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effects of a short-term pulmonary rehabilitation programme (PRP) on exercise capacity, pulmonary function and quality of life in patients with COPD. Methods: A pre-test and post-test experimental design was conducted on patients from the outpatient physical therapy department. Thirty stable COPD patients with mild to severe airflow obstruction, (mean age 54.1 ± 5.22, FEV1, between 0.80 and 0.30 predicted; FEV1/FVCÂ