Telerehabilitation in Patients With Bronchiectasis

Background: Home-based telerehabilitation (TR) has demonstrated benefits comparable to conventional rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis. However, TR has not been thoroughly investigated in patients with bronchiectasis, despite evidence suggesting improvements in exercise capacity and quality of life.

Aims: To evaluate the effects of TR on functional capacity, quality of life, and inflammatory biomarkers, as well as its safety in patients with bronchiectasis.

Study design: Single-center randomized controlled trial with a parallel-group design.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with bronchiectasis will be recruited from the Surgical Medical Unit for Respiratory Diseases at Virgen del Rocío University Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a control group receiving usual care, and a TR group undergoing supervised physical training for 12 weeks, three times per week. Outcome measures will include the 6-minute walk test, quality-of-life questionnaires, pulmonary function tests, symptom assessment, and adverse event recording, as well as sputum microbiology and analysis of inflammatory biomarkers. Assessments will be conducted at baseline and at the end of the intervention.

Expected results: A 12-week TR program is expected to significantly improve exercise capacity and quality of life in the intervention group. Additionally, this study may contribute to the development of future clinical guidelines regarding the use of TR in patients with bronchiectasis.