Effectiveness of Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy in Primary Care (FREAP) (FREAP)

Effectiveness of Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy in Primary Care in Patients With Mild COPD and Its Economic Assessment

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a very important public health problem and one of the most common lung diseases in the world, with repercussions on mortality and high economic costs. The World Health Organization estimates that COPD is the fifth most common disease in the world and the fourth leading cause of death. It is expected to grow in prevalence and mortality over the coming decades; it is estimated that in 2020, it will be the third most common cause of death worldwide.

Primary care is the main ambit in the management of these patients, in fact, it is where most patients with COPD are visited. However, a high proportion of these patients only receive chest physiotherapy treatment in hospitals, and the implementation of this kind of treatment in primary care is still very uncommon.

Hypothesis: There is effectiveness on the quality of life and various predictive factors of mortality (BODE index, six-minute walk distance, FEV1, dyspnea, and body mass index) and the economic impact of a Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy program conducted in Primary Care (FREAP) in patients with moderate COPD at 6 months after its implementation.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

AIMS

To evaluate the effectiveness on the quality of life and various predictive factors of mortality (BODE index, six-minute walk distance, FEV1, dyspnea, and body mass index) and the economic impact of a Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy program conducted in Primary Care (FREAP) in patients with moderate COPD at 6 months after its implementation.

METHOD

Design: Randomized controlled trial

Location: Tarragona-Reus Primary Care Area of the Catalan Health Service. 14 primary care centres were involved in the project (8 from the Reus-Altebrat Primary Care Service and 6 from the Tarragona-Valls Primary Care Service) and 8 units of physiotherapy.

Participants: 129 patients with moderate COPD treated by primary care teams.

Intervention: FREAP program for 6 months. It consisted of an initial health education session conducted in the primary care health centre, three sessions a week for three weeks of breathing exercises and aerobic, physical training in the primary care health centre and a monthly monitoring appointment for the breathing exercises and training for five months in the patient's home. Altogether, 10 sessions in the primary care health center and 5 sessions at the patients' house. Patients randomized in the control group continued with their usual clinical practice.

Main effect measures: Quality of life (St. George Respiratory Questionnaire -SGRQ-). Predictive factors of mortality (BODE index, six-minute walk distance, FEV1, dyspnea, and body mass index). Economic cost of implementing the FREAP program.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

129

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Tarragona
      • Reus, Tarragona, Spain, 43202
        • Catalan Health Institute

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

40 years to 74 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Mild COPD diagnostic by GOLD criteria.
  • Absence of contraindications for walk tests and training.
  • Disponibility.
  • Age between 40 and 74 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with treatment of oxygen or domiciliary oxygen therapy.
  • Communication deficience(dementia, terminal illness, illiteracy).
  • Informed consent not available.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy

Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy is the intervention in all selected patients.

It consisted of an initial health education session conducted in the primary care health centre, three sessions a week for three weeks of breathing exercises and aerobic, physical training in the primary care health centre and a monthly monitoring appointment for the breathing exercises and training for five months in the patient's home. Altogether, 10 sessions in the primary care health center and 5 sessions at the patients' house.

Standardized Respiratory Physiotherapy during 6 months
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Usual clinical practice.
Usual clinical practice.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
St-George Respiratory Questionnaire-SGRQ
Time Frame: Six months

The questionnaire is designed to measure the impact of respiratory symptoms and their treatment on a patient's daily life. It consists of various sections that cover a range of topics related to respiratory health, including symptoms, activity limitations, and overall well-being.

The SGRQ questionnaire has 50 items with 76 weighted responses. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more limitations.

Six months
BODE Index
Time Frame: 6 month

The BODE index is a clinical tool used to assess the severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and predict the risk of mortality in individuals with this respiratory condition.

The BODE Index is a 0 to 10-point scale and it is based on four factors:

  • Body Mass Index (BMI)
  • Airflow obstruction (FEV1, as a percentage of the predicted value)
  • Dyspnea (measured using the MRC dyspnea scale, which ranges from 0 to 4)
  • Exercise capacity (measured by the 6-minute walk test, in meters)

Each factor is assigned a score from 0 to 3 (except for BMI, which can only receive 0 or 1). The total score ranges from 0 to 10, with higher values indicating greater severity and a worse prognosis for COPD.

6 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
BODE index
Time Frame: Six months
Is a complex index that measures dyspnea, FEV1, BMI, and six-minute walk distance
Six months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Maria Montserrat Ingles Novell, Catalan Institute of Health

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 2007

Primary Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2008

Study Completion (Actual)

July 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 28, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 28, 2010

First Posted (Estimated)

June 29, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 4, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2023

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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