Introduction
Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) could improve health outcomes for the increasing number of people with chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs), but programmes need to be adapted to low-resource settings and, in the context of a pandemic, to home-based delivery.
Aim
To assess the feasibility of delivering a home-PR programme for patients with CRDs in Malaysia.
Methods
We recruited patients with CRDs from two hospitals in Klang Valley, Malaysia to a Home-PR programme. Following Centre-based assessment, patients performed the exercises at home (five sessions/week for 8 weeks (total 40 sessions)). We monitored the patients via weekly telephone calls and asked about adherence to the programme. We measured functional exercise capacity (6-Minutes walking test (6MWT)) and Health-Related Quality-of-Life (HRQOL: COPD Assessment Test (CAT)) at baseline and post- PR at 9 weeks. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 purposively sampled participants to explore views and feedback on the Home-PR programme. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically.
Results
30 patients participated; two withdrew due to hospitalisation. Although 28 (93%) adhered to the full programme, only 11 (37%) attended the post- PR assessment because COVID-19 movement restrictions in Malaysia at that time prevented attendance at the centre. Four themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: (1) involvement of family and caregivers, (2) barriers to Home-PR programme, (3) interactions with peers and healthcare professionals, and (4) programme enhancement.
Conclusion
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Home-PR programme proved feasible to be delivered remotely, although Centre-based post-PR assessments were not possible. Family involvement played an important role in the Home-PR programme. The delivery of this programme can be further improved to maximise the benefit obtained.
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing globally, especially in Asia. Prevalence of diabetes in Asia is increasing at a higher rate in comparison to Western countries with an increasing trend reported in the younger generation (20-39 years old). This trend has similarly been reported in our Malaysian diabetic population, of which the general prevalence is 17.5%. This population experiences longer disease duration and are at greater risk of developing complications of diabetes at an earlier stage in life. Sexual dysfunction has been established as a common long-term complication of diabetes, affecting both men and women. Evidence shows that some Asian countries experience greater rates of female sexual dysfunction compared to their Western counterparts and this is likely attributed to cultural differences and other socioeconomic factors. However, these studies are very limited and need to be investigated at a greater scale. The aim of this report is to identify gaps in the literature regarding female sexual dysfunction among Asian women with diabetes. Local cultural and religious values maintain that sexual issues should not be discussed openly, even in a clinical setting. This paper may pave the way for future studies to be carried out, as addressing sexual dysfunction is a vital part of diabetes care. In addition, various studies have identified depression as a conclusive predictor of female sexual dysfunction in diabetic women. There is a possibility of a link between diabetes distress and female sexual dysfunction, which requires further investigation.
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