Project to improve COPD rehabilitation for rural Australians receives MRFF funding
Credit: Proxima Studios
Physiotherapist and respiratory care expert, Associate Professor Narelle Cox from the School of Translational Medicine, has been awarded a $2.49million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Chronic Respiratory Conditions funding grant to lead a team that will improve access to effective non-pharmacological care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural Australia.
Rural Australians are twice as likely to be diagnosed with COPD and three times more likely to be hospitalised compared to people residing in our major cities. Compelling evidence suggests that pulmonary rehabilitation improves symptoms and function, reduces healthcare service use and costs and enhances quality of life in individuals with COPD.
However, in rural areas, access to rehabilitation programs is significantly limited by inadequate service capacity, patient travel and transportation issues, and a lower likelihood of referral.
The project team’s proven telehealth pulmonary rehabilitation ‘telerehabilitation’ model, supervised via video conferencing, is clinically effective, cost-effective, and achieves program completion rates of over 80 per cent. However, despite the benefits and value of telerehabilitation, clinicians in rural pulmonary rehabilitation services identify a lack of resources, skills and expert support as barriers to implementation. Currently, only one rural service in Australia delivers telerehabilitation according to the team’s proven model.
The newly-funded ‘R2EACH’ project, a type 3 hybrid-implementation (cluster randomised controlled) trial will test a multi-component intervention package comprising evidence-based telerehabilitation, consumer ‘champions’ and clinician resources, training and mentoring in 12 rural health services in five states.
The project team will also undertake an economic evaluation of the program and costs, and develop a theory-informed process evaluation to guide translation and scale-up. Participating institutions include the Institute for Breathing and Sleep, Australian Catholic University, Deakin University, the Menzies School of Health Research and the University of Alberta, Canada.
Associate Professor Cox said that she was delighted to receive the MRFF funding. “Our work will explore whether supporting delivery of telerehabilitation in rural Australia will increase access to care for people with COPD, and improve health outcomes that are important to patients."
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