Pulmonary and Extra-Pulmonary Profile of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Asian Indian population: Impact of Nutrition and Tele-Assisted Rehabilitation with Guided Exercise Training Study (In-Target study)

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an integral part of comprehensive COPD management. It has shown beneficial results in improving multiple COPD associated symptoms including a reduction in dyspnoea, exacerbation frequency, recurrent hospitalization and improvement in functional capacity, muscle strength and quality of life. The utilisation of pulmonary rehabilitation in the Indian setup is limited due to multiple constraints including space, expenditure, manpower and resources. Considering these challenges, this study has developed a structured rehabilitation program consisting of exercises, nutritional and motivational support that can be delivered in the patient’s home environment. A video-based exercise module will be created for the patients aided with weekly telehealth follow-up calls from the study investigator. The participants will receive personalised nutritional counselling along with a nutritional supplement for regular consumption, designed to address frequently prevalent malnutrition observed in the patients. Weekly telephonic sessions will be made for reinforcement of the benefits of lifestyle changes, gather information on patient wellbeing, compliance and progress on the program. The aim of the study is to evaluate the short-term and long-term effectiveness of a structured telehealth intervention on the overall quality of life of patients seen in a hospital setting in Karnataka, India