Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs

Book excerpt: As the field of pulmonary rehabilitation has continued to advance and evolve, standards for patient care and for programs have become increasingly important. Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs, Fifth Edition With Web Resource, offers the best practices for patient care and serves as the must-have resource for programs to prepare for the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) pulmonary rehabilitation program certification. Readers will learn to tailor individualized care for respiratory patients as well as to improve new programs or update existing programs. For this revised fifth edition, AACVPR has assembled an expert team of nationally and internationally recognized authors. Together, they present the individuated and interrelated components of pulmonary rehabilitation, including initial and ongoing assessment, collaborative self-management education, exercise training, psychosocial support, and outcome measurement. Highlighted guidelines have been included throughout the book, giving readers easy-to-find guidance for implementing treatment programs and helping patients stay on track. Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs, Fifth Edition With Web Resource, offers an evidence-based review in several areas based on the rapid expansion of high-quality scientific evidence since the last edition. To learn best practices for care and program development, readers will find contributions from expert pulmonary rehabilitation professionals in nursing, medicine, physical therapy, respiratory therapy, and exercise physiology. This text provides a scientific, practical framework to help aspiring and current practitioners do the following: Understand the current requirements for accrediting pulmonary-based facilities Design, implement, or update accredited pulmonary rehabilitation programs Deliver optimal care to patients with symptomatic respiratory needs Address program issues in exercise, outcomes, and management of pulmonary-based programs New to this edition, a web resource provides easy access to practical checklists from the book and offers biannual updates to keep programs current with key changes in the field. The reorganized content provides a more logical flow of information consistent with pulmonary rehabilitation development. A new chapter on nutrition helps readers to understand its importance in the rehab process and to provide rehab patients with the best opportunity for success. In the updated appendixes, readers will find a comprehensive set of forms, questionnaires, and assessment tools. With continued advancements in the science, application, and credentialing of pulmonary rehabilitation programs, the fifth edition of Guidelines for Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programs will assist respiratory practitioners in remaining up to date on the best practices in the field. This edition supports practitioners in understanding the components of pulmonary rehabilitation and applying best practices as well as updating and improving their programs to meet AACVPR certification requirements.