Health status measured by the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) improves following post-acute pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with advanced COPD: a prospective observational study

• Published in: NPJ primary care respiratory medicine 2014-05, Vol.24 (1), p.14007-14007, Article 14007
• Main Authors: van Dam van Isselt, Eléonore F, Spruit, Monica, Groenewegen-Sipkema, Karin H, Chavannes, Niels H, Achterberg, Wilco P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/699/1785; 692/700/565/491; Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Dyspnea - rehabilitation; Female; Health Status; Humans; Internal Medicine; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Pneumology/Respiratory System; Primary Care Medicine; Prospective Studies; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - rehabilitation; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Thoracic Surgery; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 2055-1010; 2055-1010
• DOI: 10.1038/npjpcrm.2014.7

Aims: To evaluate outcomes of the Clinical Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) Questionnaire (CCQ) in patients with advanced COPD admitted for a post-acute pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme and to relate (change in) health status to lung function, degree of dyspnoea and (change in) functional capacity. Methods: This is a prospective observational study in patients with advanced COPD admitted for a post-acute PR programme in a skilled nursing facility. Health status (CCQ) and functional capacity were measured before and after rehabilitation. Results: Health status measured by the CCQ was severely impaired and showed significant and clinically relevant improvement during the post-acute PR programme. Moderate to strong correlations were found between CCQ scores and functional capacity on admission and at discharge. Moderate correlations were found between improvement in CCQ scores and improvement in functional capacity. No correlation was found between CCQ scores and lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted). Conclusions: Health status measured by the CCQ improves following a post-acute PR programme in patients with advanced COPD and correlates with improvement in functional capacity. These results suggest that the CCQ is sensitive to change in response to PR in this specific group of patients. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Asking the right questions Researchers have used a simple questionnaire to measure the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Pulmonary rehabilitation uses exercise and education to improve the health of patients with respiratory problems. In a prospective observational study, Eléonore van Dam van Isselt and colleagues at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands asked 63 patients with advanced COPD to participate in the Clinical COPD Questionaire (CCQ). Little was known about the usefulness of the CCQ in advanced COPD or as a measure of rehabilitation. They found that CCQ scores accurately reflected the health status of COPD patients before and after rehabilitation. The lung capacities of COPD patients showed substantial improvements during rehabilitation. The findings demonstrate that CCQ is sensitive enough to monitor changes in the health status of COPD patients.