05/02/2026
Delivering Pulmonary Rehabilitation Where It Actually Works — the Community
Pulmonary rehabilitation doesn’t fail patients.
Access does.
A 2026 study in Respiratory Care quietly confirms what many of us have known for years: center-based PR, while effective on paper, misses too many people in real life.
Transportation. Cost. Time. Geography.
These aren’t excuses — they’re structural barriers.
The study evaluated a community-based COPD Wellness Program, with and without Health Advocate support, among adults with moderate-to-severe COPD in a safety-net setting.
Here’s what stood out:
• Community-based PR was feasible and safe
• Patients with Health Advocate support showed better adherence
• CAT scores improved overall, with greater gains in the supported group
• Functional and psychosocial outcomes remained unchanged — signaling the need for longer follow-up and smarter program design
Why this matters:
Pulmonary rehabilitation doesn’t live or die by treadmills and clinics.
It succeeds when it meets patients where life actually happens.
Addressing social determinants of health — navigation, support, continuity — isn’t a “nice add-on.”
It’s the difference between participation and dropout.
This model isn’t perfect.
But it’s honest.
And in resource-limited settings, honesty scales better than idealism.
The future of PR isn’t centralized.
It’s community-rooted, supported, and built for reality.