Help for pulmonary rehab with peer support and patient stories
Official title: Improving Participation in Pulmonary Rehabilitation through Peer-Support and Storytelling
Funded at Baystate Medical Center, INC. · NIH-11418809 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will try phone-based peer support and short personal-story videos to help adults with COPD start and stay in pulmonary rehabilitation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baystate Medical Center, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Springfield, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $134,445 |
| NIH project number | 3R33HL157847-05S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11418809 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with COPD who have been referred to pulmonary rehabilitation or who recently had an exacerbation are the ideal candidates for this program.
✕Less likely to help
People without COPD, those who are medically unstable for PR, or those unable to use phone/video communications are unlikely to benefit from participation.
What this research studies
You would be paired with a trained peer who has completed pulmonary rehabilitation and receive regular phone-based support while also watching short videos of people with COPD sharing their rehab experiences. Some participants will receive the peer-support and storytelling program while others receive usual referral so the team can compare which approach helps more people begin and complete PR. The program is delivered mostly by phone and video, so much of it can be done from home. The team will track attendance in PR, breathlessness, quality of life, and healthcare visits like ER trips or hospital stays.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help more people enroll in and complete pulmonary rehabilitation, reduce breathlessness, and lower acute care visits.
How similar studies have gone: Telephone peer-support and storytelling have shown promise in other chronic conditions (including improved blood pressure control), but applying them to boost pulmonary rehab participation is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Baystate Medical Center, INC.
Springfield, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lindenauer, Peter Kyle — Baystate Medical Center, INC.
- Study coordinator: Lindenauer, Peter Kyle
Related research
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.