OBJECTIVE

To assess whether a maintenance integrated health care programme is effective in improving functional and emotional dimensions of quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after a first pulmonary rehabilitation.

DESIGN

Prospective controlled trial.

SETTING

Three rehabilitation centres and three patient self-help associations within a health care network in France.

SUBJECTS

Forty patients with moderate to severe COPD.

INTERVENTIONS

After a first four-week inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme, patients took part in a maintenance integrated health care programme or usual care for 12 months.

MAIN MEASURES

The primary outcomes were the change in functional and emotional dimensions of quality of life measured by the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), the brief World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (Brief-WHOQOL) and six specific questions using a 10-cm visual analogue scale. Secondary outcomes were change in exercise tolerance measured by six-minute walking test and cycle exercise.

RESULTS

At one year, the maintenance intervention (n = 11) produced improvements in functional and emotional dimensions scores of quality of life and exercise tolerance. Patients in the usual aftercare group (n = 16) exhibited maintenance of functional dimension scores of quality of life, but a clinically relevant decline in emotional scores of quality of life and in six-minute walking distance one year after the pulmonary rehabilitation.

CONCLUSION

Patient self-help association seems to be an innovative and efficient organizational structure to support patients with COPD after pulmonary rehabilitation in real-life settings. A distinction between emotional and functional dimensions of quality of life may improve the design and evaluation of integrated health care programmes in patients with COPD.