Background:
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a programme of exercise and education for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which traditionally takes place twice a week over a seven-week period. For individuals with a chronic lung condition, Pulmonary Rehabilitation should be an integral part of their care, and the Welsh Government outlined an expectation that all eligible patients are offered such services. This project aimed to provide a more efficient and equal pulmonary rehabilitation service across rural areas in Wales by delivering rehabilitation interventions using video conferencing technology.
Outcomes:
VIPAR has saved driving time and miles travelled for all patients, as well as providing improved health outcomes. The project was able to clearly demonstrate (via 3 programmes) that virtual pulmonary rehabilitation:
- is both feasible and safe
- is popular with staff and patients
- appears at least as effective as standard pulmonary rehabilitation in the short-term.
- saves money and reduces environmental impact
The future ambitions of the project are to secure funding to continue running virtual rehabilitation services in rural areas using a hub and spoke model, creating a virtual pulmonary rehabilitation (VIPAR) network pan-Wales.
Publications & Awards:
- Mediwales 2018 Winner
- Knox L, Dunning M, Davies CA, Mills-Bennet R, Sion TW, Phipps K, Stevenson V, Hurlin C, Lewis K. Safety, feasibility, and effectiveness of virtual pulmonary rehabilitation in the real world. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2019 Apr 8;14:775-780. doi: 10.2147/COPD.S193827. PMID: 31040656; PMCID: PMC6459142.