Exercise training initiated early during hospitalisation in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is safe and improves exercise capacity and physical function at hospital discharge: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background And Objective: Earlier reviews of exercise in people during exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) included studies where exercise training was initiated late during hospital admission or shortly following hospital discharge. Our question was: in adults hospitalised with an exacerbation of COPD, does initiating exercise training early during an admission versus not initiating exercise training during admission, change outcomes measured at discharge?

Methods: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Database searches of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, PEDro and EMBASE conducted in December 2021 and updated in January 2024.