Home-based versus outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Although home-based pulmonary rehabilitation programs have been shown in some studies to be an alternative and effective model, there is a lack of consensus in the medical literature due to different study designs and lack of standardization among procedures. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of a home-based versus outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods: Five electronic databases including Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Cochrane Library will be searched in May 2021 by 2 independent reviewers. The reference lists of the included studies will be also checked for additional studies that are not identified with the database search. There is no restriction on the dates of publication or language in the search. The randomized controlled trials focusing on comparing home-based and outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD patients will be included in our meta-analysis. The following outcomes should have been measured: functional exercise capacity, disease-specific health-related quality of life, and cost-effectiveness measures. Risk ratio with a 95% confidence interval or standardized mean difference with 95% CI is assessed for dichotomous outcomes or continuous outcomes, respectively. Results: It was hypothesized that these 2 methods would provide similar therapeutic benefits. Registration number: 10.17605/OSF.IO/5CV48.