What is the Minimal Clinically Important Difference in the OneMinute Sit-to-Stand Test During Remote Interventions?

Background: rehabilitation (PR) is the most effective therapeutic strategy to improve health status in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). With poor uptake and adherence to PR, a home-based rehabilitation programme could improve exercise capacity in these patients. A suitable outcome measure for home settings is required to assess such a programme’s effectiveness. : one-minute sit-to-stand test (1-min STS) can easily be performed within home settings, and has been validated for other clinical scenarios. This service evaluation aimed to calculate the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) for the 1-min STS following a remote exercise-based intervention. : data were analysed retrospectively from a comprehensive remote exercise-based intervention for patients with COPD. The 1-min STS, COPD Assessment Test and MRC dyspnoea scale were completed before and after the programme. Change in health status was recorded using the Global Rating of Change Questionnaire (GRCQ). Anchor-based methods were used to evaluate the MCID of the 1-min STS. : were available from 106 patients. The median (IQR) improvement in 1-min STS after the programme was three (1-5) repetitions. Changes in 1-min STS repetitions were non-significantly and only weakly correlated with changes in MRC dyspnoea scale, COPD Assessment Test and GRCQ (r=-0.15, -0.12 and 0.09, respectively). The estimated MCID for the 1-min STS was three repetitions. : improvement of at least three repetitions in the 1-min STS was considered meaningful in this service evaluation. Anchors that display stronger correlations would be required to increase the robustness of the MCID estimates.