Pulmonary Telerehabilitation and Telemonitoring for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Single-Arm Pilot Feasibility Study

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but access remains limited. Telerehabilitation with telemonitoring may improve access to home-based care; however, feasibility data are currently scarce. This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and occurrence of adverse effects in a videoconference-based pulmonary telerehabilitation program supported by wearable devices in individuals with COPD. Methods: Our one-group pre-post feasibility study evaluated an 8-week intervention comprising two supervised exercise sessions and one education session per week. Telemonitoring included wearable-device data capture (heart rate, peripheral oxygen saturation, step count) and symptom severity reporting. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment rate, study completion, dropout rate, session attendance, data-submission compliance, adverse events, and participant satisfaction. Exploratory clinical outcomes were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results: Of 32 eligible individuals, 15 consented and attended baseline assessment (recruitment rate: 47%), and nine completed the study (completion: 60%; dropout: 40%). Among completers, median age was 67 years (interquartile range IQR 62–73), and seven (78%) were women. Mean session attendance was 94 ± 6.6%. Data submission rates averaged 86 ± 7.7% for the O2 ring and 97 ± 6.4% for symptom severity reporting, while smartwatch data were submitted by all participants (100%). No adverse events were reported, and participant satisfaction was high. No statistically significant pre-post changes were observed in clinical outcomes. Mean 6-min walk test distance increased by 29 m, a potentially clinically relevant but exploratory finding. Conclusions: A videoconference-based pulmonary telerehabilitation program supported by wearable devices appears to be operationally deliverable among participants who remained engaged, with no adverse events observed in this small, selected group of participants with COPD. Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size, one-group design, and attrition.