Pulmonary rehabilitation refers to a series of services that are administered to patients of respiratory disease

Respiratory disease

Respiratory disease is a medical term that encompasses pathological conditions affecting the organs and tissues that make gas exchange possible in higher organisms, and includes conditions of the upper respiratory tract, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, pleura and pleural cavity, and the...

 and their families, typically to attempt to improve the quality of life for the patient. Pulmonary rehabilitation may be carried out in a variety of settings, depending on the patient's needs, and may or may not include pharmacologic

Pharmacology

Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...

 intervention.

Background

Pulmonary rehabilitation is generally specific to the individual patient, with the objective of meeting the needs of the patient. It is a broad program and may benefit patients with lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sarcoidosis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and cystic fibrosis, among others. Although the process is focused on the rehabilitation of the patient him/herself, the family is also involved. The process typically does not begin until a medical exam of the patient has been performed by a licensed physician.

The setting of pulmonary rehabilitation varies by patient; settings may include inpatient care

Inpatient care

Inpatient care is the care of patients whose condition requires admission to a hospital. Progress in modern medicine and the advent of comprehensive out-patient clinics ensure that patients are only admitted to a hospital when they are extremely ill or are have severe physical...

, outpatient care

Ambulatory care

Ambulatory care is a personal health care consultation, treatment or intervention using advanced medical technology or procedures delivered on an outpatient basis Ambulatory care is a personal health care consultation, treatment or intervention using advanced medical technology or procedures...

, the office of a physician

Physician

A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...

, or the patient's home.

Although there are no universally accepted procedure codes

Procedure codes

Procedure codes are numbers or alphanumeric codes used to identify specific health interventions taken by medical professionals.-International:...

 for pulmonary rehabilitation, providers usually use codes for general therapeutic processes

Therapy

This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...

.

The goal of pulmonary rehabilitation is to help improve the well-being and quality of life of the patient and their families. Accordingly, programs typically focus on several aspects of the patient's recovery and can include:
- Medication management
- Exercise training
- Breathing retraining
- Education about the patient's lung disease and how to manage it
- Nutrition counseling
- Emotional support

Pharmacologic intervention

Medications may be used in the process of pulmonary rehabilitation including: Anti-inflammatory agents (inhaled steroids), Bronchodilators, Long-acting bronchodilators, Beta-2 agonists, Anticholinergic agents, Oral steroids, Antibiotics, Mucolytic agent

Mucolytic agent

Mucokinetics are a class of drugs which aid in the clearance of mucous from the airways, lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Such drugs can be further categorized by their mechanism of action.* expectorants* mucolytic agents...

s, Oxygen therapy

Oxygen therapy

Oxygen therapy is the administration of oxygen as a medical intervention, which can be for a variety of purposes in both chronic and acute patient care...

, or Preventative therapy (i.e. Vaccination

Vaccination

Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate the immune system of an individual to develop adaptive immunity to a disease. Vaccines can prevent or ameliorate the effects of infection by many pathogens...

).