Introduction: Pulmonary rehabilitation is an established part of the management of chronic obstructive airway disease. For longer-term effects, extending rehabilitation into domiciliary care settings may be necessary. There are few studies evaluating precisely this modality of management in a home setting.
State of the art: This review analyses the current literature on home based rehabilitation. The benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation, the practical aspects of its application, and its advantages and limitations are detailed. The few data on economic aspects of home rehabilitation are also discussed.
Perspectives: Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation is effective with positive short-term effects on quality of life, breathlessness and effort tolerance. Its practical application needs to be defined.
Conclusion: Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation appears to be an effective intervention in patients with COPD but more studies are necessary to evaluate it fully.