Bringing evidence-based treatment to practice. Rehabilitation using eHealth for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The overall aim of this project is to evaluate a novel strategy for delivering pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) through an eHealth tool (the PR-app) to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).In this multi-center, multidisciplinary, international project three research groups assemble in a new collaboration to share previous experiences and expertise of evaluating eHealth tools in people with COPD.The PR-app will be evaluated over three years in two phases; I) a randomized pilot and feasibility study of user satisfaction, reach, and safety, and II) a randomized controlled trial in 124 people with COPD, in which PR via the PR-app, which is developed in co-creation with end-users, will be compared with a control group receiving usual treatment.

Exercise tolerance, physical activity, health related quality of life, symptoms, health care use and cost-benefits will be evaluated.

Barriers and enablers for changed level of physical activity as well as gender differences and similarities in outcomes will be analyzed.Treatment guidelines highly recommend PR for people with COPD to improve health and decrease health care use. Despite strong evidence, only a small proportion of the COPD population is offered PR.

If effective, the PR-app will increase the access to and effect of evidence-based and cost-effective care for the over 700 000 people with COPD in Sweden. This may benefit both patients and society, and the methods used may be applied for other chronic diseases.