Grant: Operating Grant - PA: ICRH - New investigators (Bridge Funding)

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, can have several consequences on a person's health and well-being. Pulmonary rehabilitation, which includes exercise training, education, and psychosocial support, is considered one of the best interventions to tackle these consequences. Several exercise training approaches have been used in pulmonary rehabilitation, each demonstrating some merit. However, the different approaches have not been compared to one another. Therefore, healthcare practitioners currently do not know which approach to use. The goal of our research project will be to compare three different exercise training approaches in pulmonary rehabilitation to determine which one is optimal. Patients with COPD will be recruited and will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: 1) the group that will train at a high-intensity continuously, 2) the group that will train at an individualized physiological marker (the ventilatory threshold) continuously; or 3) the group that will train with intervals of high-intensity exercise alternated with periods of active recovery. Patients from all three groups will train 3 times per week for 12 consecutive weeks. Several measurements (pulmonary function, exercise tolerance, psychological and cognitive status, quality of life, etc.) will be made at the beginning and at the end of the programme. Improvements in these measurements will be compared between the three groups. In addition, how well patients comply to their assigned training approach will be compared between the three groups to verify which approach, if any, is more tolerable for patients. This research projects has the potential to directly improve the delivery and the effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation programmes and to help COPD patients better manage their disease.