Pulmonary Rehabilitation Programme for North Mayo patients
The North Mayo Primary Care Team have recently completed a pilot exercise and education rehabilitation programme for people in the area with long-term lung conditions.
The ‘Pulmonary Rehabilitation’ exercise and education programme was developed as a joint initiative between Dr. Cyril Rooney, Consultant Physician, Mayo General Hospital and his team and delivered by the North Mayo Primary Care Team.
Ten patients with long-term lung conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) were carefully selected from Killala, Crossmolina, Lahardane and Ballycastle and they have successfully completed the first 10-week community lead programme in Mayo.
This programme was facilitated in the local GAA Centre. Prior to this, patients would have been placed on a waiting list and had to travel to Mayo General Hospital to participate in a COPD rehabilitation programme.
A Pulmonary rehabilitation programme involves a dynamic active collaboration among the patient, family and healthcare providers. Evidence based support for pulmonary rehabilitation in the management of patients with chronic respiratory disease has grown tremendously, demonstrating reduced dyspnoea, increased exercise performance and improve health related quality of life, and furthermore, emerging literature is beginning to reveal its effectiveness in reducing health care costs.
Public Health Nurse Paula Duggan, Community Registered General Nurse Margaret Sheerin and Physiotherapist Brian Ruane coordinated the 10-week course. The course involved a combination of teaching, counseling and behaviour modification techniques to promote self management skills and self-efficacy.
The programme incorporates weekly sessions of exercise, education and relaxation. The following multidisciplinary team members, Dr Paul Nolan, Dr Eleanor Fitzgerald, Dara Quinn Pharmacist, and Ruth Walsh Occupational Therapist supported the educational sessions.
Other speakers involved were Letitia Hallinan, Alternative Therapist, and Heather Miller, Dietician. All participants were encouraged and motivated to carry out their own programme at home and keep a daily record in an exercise diary.
Participants from the programme said, “they now have a marked improvement in their ability to self manage this chronic disease, have better inhaler technique, and have become more motivated since beginning the course in doing their own home exercise programmes.”
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