Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)

Overview

This online course will provide an overview of pulmonary rehabilitation in people with interstitial lung disease (ILD).

Although there is emerging low to moderate-quality evidence supporting pulmonary rehabilitation in ILD in the short term, it is often underutilized in this population.

Guidelines for pulmonary rehabilitation are extrapolated largely from the COPD population, despite differences in the pathophysiology of exercise limitation and mechanism and degree of gas exchange abnormalities in ILD.

Join the Canadian Physiotherapy Association for this online course 'Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)'. 

Learning Objectives

In this online course, we will:

1. Summarize the pathophysiology of exercise limitation in interstitial lung disease (ILD).
2. Describe the evidence for pulmonary rehabilitation in ILD and the current gaps.
3. Discuss assessment and treatment strategies to optimize exercise prescription in ILD.
4. Identify ILD-specific issues that may require modifications to a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

Audience

This course is a relatively new and growing area of practice for physiotherapists. This course is for any physiotherapist or healthcare professional who sees patients postnatally.

Relevance to Physiotherapy Practice

Clearly identify the clinical problem to be addressed during the session.  Highlight how the information to be presented will improve clinicians’ assessment skills or affect patients’ outcomes. 

Although individuals with ILD have shown benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, optimal and disease-specific exercise prescription is not known. This presentation will discuss the current evidence around exercise and oxygen assessment, and training strategies and considerations to optimize patient outcomes.

Speaker's Biography: Lisa Wickerson

Lisa is a physiotherapist at the University Health Network in Toronto where she provides functional assessment and outpatient rehabilitation to individuals pre- and post lung transplantation. She completed her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto with a research focus on oxygenation during exercise in interstitial lung disease.

During her post-doctoral fellowship at the University Health Network and Women’s College Hospital Lisa focused on virtual care and is currently evaluating a mobile app to support pulmonary rehabilitation after lung transplantation.