Rehabilitation Counselling for Patients with Interstitial Lung Disease

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare chronic progressive disease of unknown etiology that affects physical and emotional well-being. It is characterized by irreversible loss of lung function due to fibrosis, which manifests itself with cough, dyspnea, and impaired quality of life. Lung transplantation is limited to a minority of patients and patients receive anti-fibrotic therapy in addition to supportive/palliative treatments. In light of the broad definition of pulmonary rehabilitation, and by virtue of the multidisciplinary nature of the process, the present study aims to observe the effects of the rehabilitation counseling offered to patients who attend the IPF clinic at the Pneumology Operating Unit of the IRCCS Company Bologna University Hospital, as part of the Intercompany PDTA (diagnostic therapeutic care path) for Pulmonary Fibrosis: the Intercompany PDTA for patients suffering from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis involves a multidisciplinary approach which, also through therapeutic education/counselling, aims among others to "Offer the patient the opportunity to participate in clinical studies to increase knowledge about the disease and/or have access to innovative treatments". Primary objectives 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of the rehabilitation intervention contained in the PDTAI (Intercompany diagnostic therapeutic care path ) 2. Evaluate the improvement in functional capacity and cardiorespiratory endurance. Secondary objectives 3. Evaluate the progress and evolution of the pathology. 4. Evaluate the emotional burden of the caregiver in caring for the individual suffering from IPF 5. Evaluate the improvement in quality of life. 6. Evaluate the change in disability. 7. Evaluate the patient\'s fatigue and its evolution over the course of the disease. Fatigue is associated with dyspnea, impacts daily living activities and quality of life. 8. Evaluate the progress and evolution of dyspnea at rest and in relation to the performance of comm