January 2017 #pulmCC Twitter Chat: Improving Lung Health Through Pulmonary Rehabilitation
By: Chris Carroll, MD; M. Patricia George, MD
January 17, 2017
Join us Thursday, January 26, at 8:00 pm Central/9:00 pm Eastern when we discuss another hot topic in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. The topic? Pulmonary rehabilitation.
New Year often comes with resolutions to improve ourselves and our lifestyles. Improving diet and exercise are common resolutions but can be daunting tasks to people with chronic lung disease. However, even for those with severely diminished lung function, it can be possible to improve your health significantly using pulmonary rehabilitation program.
Pulmonary rehabilitation programs are not a cure, but they can significantly improve quality of life. These programs involve exercise, education, and other therapies. The goal of these programs is to reduce disability and to restore patients to the highest possible level of independent function by reducing symptoms and improving physical activity. Often, patients with lung disease cut back on their physical activity due to breathlessness, which in turn leads to deconditioning. This can lead to a dangerous cycle of inactivity and worsening symptoms.
With pulmonary rehabilitation, patients are helped to become actively involved in providing their own health care, more independent in daily activities, and less dependent on health professionals. Even patients with severe impairment can benefit if they are selected appropriately and if realistic goals are set. These programs typically include teams of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, and respiratory therapists.
In the next #pulmCC Twitter chat, we will discuss pulmonary rehabilitation and how techniques used in these programs can improve the quality of life for all patients with lung disease.
Topics
T1: Why is pulmonary rehabilitation important?
T2: What makes a successful pulmonary rehabilitation program?
T3: How can providers succinctly approach lifestyle (diet and nutrition) in the clinic?
T4: What resources are available to people who are interested in improving their lifestyle?
Resources
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Patient Education Resources