Safety and feasibility of a virtual exercise programme for pulmonary fibrosis

Abstract

Patients with pulmonary fibrosis have poor access to pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in Ireland. This issue has returned to prominence with the recent publication of revised HSE guidance for healthcare professionals regarding the implementation of PR programmes at Specialist Ambulatory Care Hubs. Patients with pulmonary fibrosis continue to be excluded from community-based PR services, with the updated guidance unchanged in restricting access to patients with COPD or asthma only.

There are an estimated 5,000 people in Ireland living with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic and life limiting lung condition typically associated with progressive breathlessness, increasing disability and deteriorating quality of life. The Irish Thoracic Society (ITS) recommends that patients with pulmonary fibrosis should have access to specialist physiotherapy and receive PR supported by a structured home exercise programme. Research conducted in 2021 by the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association (ILFA, the national patient advocacy group for pulmonary fibrosis) , showed that only 25% of the 112 pulmonary fibrosis patients surveyed had access to a physiotherapist.