A pilot study on the effectiveness of a language‐specific (Chinese) pulmonary rehabilitation programme for individuals with chronic pulmonary disease: a 2‐year prospective cohort study in Sydney, Australia-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

A pilot study on the effectiveness of a language‐specific (Chinese) pulmonary rehabilitation programme for individuals with chronic pulmonary disease: a 2‐year prospective cohort study in Sydney, Australia

Published:2023-08-07 Issue: Volume: Page:
ISSN:1444-0903
Container-title:Internal Medicine Journal
language:en
Short-container-title:Internal Medicine Journal

Author:

Auyeung Titus¹²^ORCID,Jiang Osborn³,Taylor Mitchell⁴,Chang Vicky¹,Kwan Benjamin¹⁵^ORCID

Affiliation:

1. Department of Respiratory Medicine The Sutherland Hospital, South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Sydney New South Wales Australia

2. South Eastern Sydney Clinical School The University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia

3. Prince of Wales Hospital South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Sydney New South Wales Australia

4. Functional Lungs Physiotherapy Sydney New South Wales Australia

5. St. Vincent's Clinical School The University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia

Abstract

AbstractBackground and AimsPulmonary rehabilitation (PR) improves dyspnoea, fatigue and healthcare‐related quality of life (QoL) in patients with chronic lung disease (CLD). Non‐English‐speaking background (NESB) patients face language and cultural barriers that hinder their access to PR programmes, contributing to health disparities. Our trial aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of a Chinese language‐specific PR programme on lung function, functional exercise capacity and QoL measures.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted over a 2‐year period. Participants were enrolled in an 8‐week PR programme with biweekly sessions conducted by Chinese‐speaking physiotherapists. Baseline and post‐rehabilitation testing included pulmonary function testing, 6‐min walk test (6MWT), St. George Respiratory Questionnaire (SGQR) and Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36).ResultsWe enrolled 76 patients (58% male) with a median age of 77 years (interquartile range (IQR) 68–81) and achieved a completion rate of 86.8% (n = 66). CLD included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (42%), asthma (15%) and interstitial lung disease (3%). Baseline median forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) was 1.63 L (IQR 1.17–2.05), and the median 6MWT was 282 m (IQR 232–332). Post‐intervention median 6MWT increased to 332 m (IQR 290–390), and the median FEV1 was 1.99 L (IQR 1.3–2.1). Both QoL measures (SGQR and SF‐36) showed significant improvement after intervention (P < 0.05).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that a language‐specific PR programme is feasible, improving outcomes in NESB patients with CLD. The improvement in 6MWT and QoL measures was comparable to English‐based programmes. Ensuring equal access to healthcare programmes, regardless of cultural background or language barriers, is crucial in promoting health equity.

Funder

AstraZeneca Australia

Publisher

Wiley

Subject

Internal Medicine

Link

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/imj.16167

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