Home-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis A PILOT STUDY

Purpose: To evaluate the adherence and effectiveness of a home-based exergame program for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fi brosis (IPF). Method: Patients with IPF were randomly assigned to a relatively unsupervised Wii Fit exergame intervention group or Wii video game control group (with no active whole-body movement involved). Participants in both groups were instructed to play their respective games 30 min/d, 3 d/wk for 12 wk. In addition, they were asked to perform their usual exercise/physical activities. Outcome measures were 6-min walk distance (6MWD), exercise-related dyspnea, and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Results: The 20 participants differed signifi cantly between intervention and control groups in baseline characteristics (forced vital capacity = 2.0 +/- 0.5 vs 3.1 +/- 0.7 L; forced expiratory volume in 1 sec = 1.7 +/- 0.4 vs 2.5 +/- 0.6 L, respectively). Participant adherence rate to the exergame program was very low (20%). There was no signifi cant improvement in the outcome measures in either group. In fact, both the intervention and control groups had a deterioration in 6MWD (-22 +/- 56 m vs -60 +/- 111 m), respectively and SGRQ scores (3 +/- 9 vs 1 +/- 11), respectively. Conclusions: The home-based exergame intervention for patients with IPF did not show improvement in functional performance, dyspnea, or health-related quality of life at the completion of the 12-wk program in our 2 heterogeneous groups. In addition to the low adherence rate, insuffi cient frequencies and durations of exergaming may contribute to the lack of improvement. A lack of effectiveness of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation using exergaming for patients with IPF appears consistent with prior observational studies that used more traditional modes of home-based exercise.