Mon Bryant is a Registered Physical Therapist; Christina Nguyen is a Registered Respiratory Therapist; Venkata Bandi, Charles Lan, Helene Henson, and Amir Sharafkhaneh are Physicians; all at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Houston, Texas. Mon Bryant is an Assistant Professor; Charles Lan and Helene Henson are Associate Professors; Venkata Bandi and Amir Sharafkhaneh are Professors; all at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Correspondence: Mon Bryant (msbryant@bcm.edu)
Author disclosures The authors report no actual of potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the US Government, or any of its agencies.
Advanced balance training is not suitable due to an increased risk for falls. Without the presence of the PT, level of challenge/difficulty is somewhat limited for this telehealth supervision exercise program. In addition, visual and audio quality are necessary for the session. The patient and the therapists need to see each other clearly to ensure correct methods and forms of each exercise. Furthermore, rehearsal of technical skills with the therapists is very important because this population is older and often has limited computer skills. Any technical difficulty or failure can lead to undesirable situations (eg, anxiety episodes, worries, shortness of breath, upset), which compromise exercise performance during the session. Finally, a phone is needed as an alternative in case of a poor VVC connection.
Conclusion
COPD symptoms and complications greatly affect patients’ ability to perform daily activities, decrease QOL and functional ability, and result in extensive use of health services. Many patients have limited access to a PR program at hospitals or rehabilitation centers due to health conditions, lack of transportation, and/or family support. This home-based, interactive telehealth PR program can break down the geographic barriers, solve poor program accessibility, potentially increase the utilization of PR, and reduce the cost and travel required by the patients.
Acknowledgments The Telehealth Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program was originally funded by the Veterans Health Administration VA ACCESS Program (AS, CL, HKH). We thank all the veterans for their time and effort in participating in this newly developed rehabilitation program.
