Date of Award

January 2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Kinesiology & Public Health Education

First Advisor

Joshua Guggenheimer

Abstract

This study involved examining 5 years of existing medical records for patients previously in pulmonary rehabilitation, producing 333 subjects (180 female). The purpose of this study was to determine if any variables could significantly predict readmission, so a better pulmonary rehabilitation programs could be designed. Thus reducing the cost for the health care system as well as the patients themselves, and for in the patients future it would reduced illness, pain, and human suffering. A discriminant analysis was conducted in order to determine the likelihood of readmission into pulmonary rehabilitation using the independent variables of 6MWT difference, PEFR difference, BMI difference, LOS, start 6MWT, and end 6MWT. The discriminant indicated no clear gap discriminating between those readmitted and those never readmitted.

However, out of the variables collected, although non-significant, the three strongest predictors were 6MWT start distance, 6MWT end distance, and BMI difference with statistical coefficients of 0.739, 0.688, and 0.586, respectively. It was also noted that a comparable healthy population was predicted to walk a great deal farther than the COPD patients involved in pulmonary rehabilitation, suggesting that the further the start and end 6MWT was below the normal values, the more likely it was that a patient would be readmitted into the pulmonary rehabilitation program. The findings for the study revealed that out of the variables examined at the start and end of pulmonary rehabilitation, the 6MWT starting distance was the strongest predictor, and the 6MWT as a whole was a better predictor than PEFR. However, it was clear that the predictors examined were not particularly strong predictors for readmission into a pulmonary rehabilitation program. The results provided showed that there was not one specific predictor that strongly indicated the likelihood for readmission, suggesting there are perhaps a plethora of variables outside of those linked specifically to pulmonary rehabilitation that may be influencing a patient with COPD.

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