Home-based Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Health Coaching in Patients With Fibrotic Interstitial Lung Disease

The fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (f-ILD) are a group of progressive and debilitating lung diseases sharing characteristics of lung scarring on imaging and restricted breathing on pulmonary function testing (PFT). Symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, and fatigue, eventually leading to deconditioning and poor quality of life. While medical therapies are available for slowing or stopping the loss of lung function, only pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has shown a positive impact on patient-reported shortness of breath and physical activity. Unfortunately, PR may not be widely available to all patients, and some patients may become too ill to participate in traditional center-based programs.

A primary hypothesis is that modifying the content, delivery, and setting for PR in patients with f-ILD to improve access or ease of use and supporting behavior change through a health coach will have a measurable and sustained positive impact on patient well-being and quality of life as compared to no participation or non-use.