Alemairi, Maryam
(2025)
A Description of Symptoms and Physical Function among Participants of a Randomized Trial of a Telerehabilitation Exercise Intervention after Lung Transplantation.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this dissertation was to determine the difference in lung transplant recipients participating in LTGO telerehabilitation intervention versus enhanced usual care (EUC) intervention in symptoms and physical function improvement at three months. The second aim was to assess if the relationship between symptoms and physical function improvement was moderated by group assignment (LTGO telerehabilitation intervention vs. EUC)
Participants: Sixty-three participants were eligible from lung transplant recipients participating in the Lung Transplant Go randomized trial study. Participants' mean age was 57 years, ranging from 27 to 70 years old; 41% were female, 90% were white, and all participants had undergone a double lung transplant.
Methods: This study involved secondary analysis of baseline and three-month data. For physical function assessment, the 5 Times Sit-to-Stand test (5STS) and Sit-to-Stand in 30 seconds (STS-30) were used. The Borg RPE scale was used post each physical function assessment to measure leg exertion. For symptoms, the Questionnaire for Lung Transplant Patients (QLTP), was used to measure the number of self-reported adverse symptoms. Pre-selected symptoms from the QLTP (muscle pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, depression, problems with activity due to breathlessness, sleep problems, and muscle weakness) were also examined.
Results: At three months, the LTGO group showed trends towards improvement in the QLTP total score and across all QLTP subscales, while the EUC group exhibited increased symptoms. However, no statistically significant between-group differences were observed (p>.05). Both groups showed improvement in physical measures, but these improvements were not statistically significant. The LTGO group showed a greater decrease in preselected symptoms than the EUC, but these differences were not statistically insignificant. Regression analysis indicated potential moderation effects by group assignment on the relationship between symptom and physical function improvement. For the LTGO group, increased activity symptom scores were associated with better STS-30 performance.
Conclusion: Our study found no significant difference between telerehabilitation and EUC in terms of symptom improvement and physical function. Future research with larger and more diverse samples is needed to confirm these findings and explore interactions between symptoms and physical function.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
25 February 2025 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
29 October 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
25 February 2025 |
| Submission Date: |
21 November 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
123 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Health and Rehabilitation Sciences |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Telerehabilitation, Lung transplant, Physical function, symptoms, Exercise intervention, Self-monitoring |
| Date Deposited: |
25 Feb 2025 16:02 |
| Last Modified: |
28 Feb 2025 17:02 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/47121 |
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