Student-delivered pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation: Feasible, effective, and supports new care models

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation is vital for managing chronic disease, yet access remains limited. Student-delivered rehabilitation may offer a feasible alternative; however, its impact on participation and clinical outcomes requires further evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of community-based, student-delivered pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation in terms of participation and clinical outcomes. METHODS: A pre-post cohort study was conducted at Australian Catholic University with individuals with chronic respiratory and cardiac disease. Final-year physiotherapy students delivered supervised rehabilitation programs. Participation rates, exercise capacity (6-min walk test, five-times sit-to-stand, 1-min sit-to-stand), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were assessed. Statistical significance was inferred where 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) did not include zero. RESULTS: Of 227 participants, 73 % completed the program. Attendance rates were high across exercise (88 %) and education (78 %) sessions. Significant improvements were seen in exercise capacity: 6-min walk test increased by 44m (95 % CI 32-57), five-times sit-to-stand improved by 4s (95 % CI 4-5), and 1-min sit-to-stand test repetitions increased by 5 (95 % CI 4-10). Pulmonary participants demonstrated improvement in HRQOL (mean St George's Respiratory Questionnaire score change: 6; 95 % CI: 3-8), as did cardiac participants (mean Short Form-36 physical component score change: 11; 95 % CI: 5-17). No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSION: Student-delivered rehabilitation is feasible, safe, and associated with high participation and significant gains in exercise capacity and HRQOL. Supervision by qualified physiotherapists ensured quality and safety. While economic analysis was not conducted, the model may offer cost-effective benefits and warrants further investigation.