Evaluation of a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Audit - Dissertation Example

Pulmonary Rehabilitation aims to reduce symptoms, decrease disability, increase participation in physical and social activities, and improve the overall quality of life (QOL) for patients with chronic respiratory disease.  These goals are achieved through patient and family/ care education, exercise training, psychosocial and behavioral intervention, and outcome assessment.

It has been over a decade since the time that the British Thoracic Society (BTS) reported the poor services given in general by providers of Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) in the UK.  Lymington New Forest Hospital (LNFH) has been one of those affected by such feedback. Reasons for failures to deliver good performance appear valid, although there is still the need to find ways and means to live up to the expectations of a professional community. Patients’ non-compliance remained the major challenge since it resulted in a lack of assessments that could have been recorded and used as the basis for evaluating the extent of achievements of the desired benefits in the Respiratory Assessment Unit of the hospital.

The present lean Team made up of only two (2) Specialist Nurses and one (1) Specialist Physiologist at LNFH did not have weekly records to control. And the main task was just to encourage patients to exercise at least twice a week. To see improvements, the standard has been to try and be able to prolong those exercises or increase the distance and time for walking as well as to gather positive feedback through the accomplishment of Chronic Respiratory Questionnaires (CRQs). Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs at LNFH consist of physical cardiovascular and strength training, disease education, and nutritional, psychological, and behavioral intervention. The benefits should eventually include the improvement in exercise performance, health status, dyspnea, increased quality of life, and reduction in the use of health services.

The Respiratory Assessment Unit of Lymington New Forest Hospital provides a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Service (assessment and management) to the Hampshire PCT (SW) population, the following referral from Consultants, GP, or Practicing Nurses following national standards. Phase 3 (supervised program) and Phase 4 (ongoing lifestyle change management programs) are available on an outpatient basis. It delivers pulmonary rehabilitation at two sites, namely, Lymington New Forest Hospital and Hythe Hospital. This is to maximize capacity and offer a geographically more suitable location for patients.

The course runs for eight weeks, on a rolling basis to improve compliance, and consists of exercises to improve limb strength and cardiovascular fitness. After a period of recovery and relaxation where refreshment is served and an education session is delivered based on the following core principles, they are always delivered in a patient-centered approach depending on the user’s needs. The core educational sessions are:
- Anatomy and Physiology of the Lungs,
- Pathophysiology of Respiratory Disease,
- Medicines Management,
- Benefits of Exercise,
- Management of Infections,
- Chest Clearance, effective breathing techniques,
- Pacing and Activities of daily living,
- Benefits and advice of local breathe Easy groups for support.