TOPLINE:

Mobile health pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) demonstrated comparable improvements in exercise capacity and superior improvements in health status compared with traditional center-based care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), with no serious adverse events reported.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a prospective, randomized controlled trial to determine whether mobile health PR was equivalent to center-based PR in improving exercise capacity and health status in people with COPD.
• A total of 90 participants (mean age, 75 years) were enrolled between April 2022 and April 2024 and received 8 weeks of PR, either as mobile health PR (n = 44; 48% women) delivered at home via mobile devices or as center-based PR with two supervised group sessions per week (n = 46; 59% women).
• The primary outcomes were the changes in functional exercise capacity, measured by 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and health status, measured by the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) score.
• The secondary outcomes included health-related quality of life, dyspnea levels, lower limb endurance and strength, psychological status, daily physical activity levels, adherence rates, and the occurrence of adverse events.

TAKEAWAY:

• No statistically significant difference was observed in the change in 6MWD between the mobile health PR and center-based PR groups.
• The mobile health PR group experienced a significant improvement in the CAT score compared with the center-based PR group (mean difference, -4.9 points; 95% CI, -7.2 to -2.6), with more patients in the mobile health PR group likely to achieve a clinically meaningful improvement in the CAT score (odds ratio, 4.8; P < .001).
• No significant differences were observed between the groups for secondary outcomes, and no serious adverse events were reported in either group.

IN PRACTICE:

“A multicomponent mHealth [mobile health] PR program, like the m-PR [mobile PR] app, is a potential management option for people with COPD who have adequate digital literacy,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Sarah E. Brown, Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia. It was published online on September 24, 2025, in Thorax.

LIMITATIONS:

Recruitment was limited by PR program closures related to COVID, leading to a smaller sample size and potential underpowering. Missing data was more frequent for 6MWD than for CAT scores. Selection bias may have occurred, as only participants comfortable with mobile health technology were included.

DISCLOSURES:

This study received financial support from the Translational Research Grant Scheme, New South Wales Health, Northern Sydney Local Health District Innovation Grant, and other sources. One author received PhD scholarship funding from the Better Breathing Foundation, and another served as its managing director.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.