Increasing implementation and delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation: key messages from the new ATS/ERS policy statement

Abstract

The goal of the New Policy Statement is to expand provision of pulmonary rehabilitation to suitable patients worldwide. In December 2015, the Official American Thoracic Society (ATS)/European Respiratory Society (ERS) Policy Statement on Enhancing Implementation, Use and Delivery of Pulmonary Rehabilitation was published [1] with the aim of providing policy recommendations to increase implementation and delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation worldwide. Major areas addressed included increasing healthcare professional, payer and patient awareness and knowledge of pulmonary rehabilitation, increasing patient access to pulmonary rehabilitation, improving quality of pulmonary rehabilitation programmes and future research directions to advance evidence-based policy in pulmonary rehabilitation. This ATS/ERS document was developed via an iterative consensus process by an ad hoc Task Force on Policy in pulmonary rehabilitation comprised of experts from the ATS Pulmonary Rehabilitation Assembly, the ERS Rehabilitation and Chronic Care Group, the ATS and ERS Documents Development and Implementation Committees, representatives from the European Lung Foundation (ELF) and primary care representatives from the USA and Europe between May 2013 and January 2015. Input was obtained via informal surveys from patients, patient advocacy groups, (including the ATS Public Advisory Roundtable and ELF), insurance payers, as well as primary and pulmonary specialty healthcare providers. The Policy Statement was approved by the Board of Directors of the ATS and the Science Council and Executive Committee of the ERS. This editorial provides European Respiratory Journal readers with a concise reflection on the key issues addressed and summarises the policy recommendations made in the ATS/ERS Policy Statement [1] to enhance implementation, use and delivery of pulmonary rehabilitation.